Teruko MITARAI
Teruko MITARAI (Japan)
Representative Director of T-POT Inc.
I participated in the Preliminary Assessment for the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2020. Many of the works submitted for the previous exhibition were impressive and some of them still come to mind. This time as well, many of the submitted works make me realize the possibilities of expression with Urushi. This applies to the Grand Prize winner “Four-Tiered Box.” The naturalness of the sides makes a beautiful contrast with nobility of the lid. You can really enjoy the rich expression of wood and Urushi.
The work I am most interested in and attracted by is the Silver Prize winner, “Dance in the Golden.” “WOW!” – it took my breath away. The work captivates me with its firm formation and the esthetic finishing of the surface. I feel the special quality that the fox has, it shows me its presence and I feel as if it had a soul. It goes beyond an objective description. It is a joyful surprise to know that Urushi can express itself better than paint, and I want to see more of these works.
During every assessment, we look at the objects based on their genre, art or design. I hope that I will see more works which go beyond such questions.