Comments on Award Winners

Ekuan : If you look at the works of the award winners, I am sure they will give you a relaxed and reinvigorated feeling. Professor Ohnishi has already mentioned the Grand Prize Winner’s work, titled LOVE. The concept of this work is similar to that of Chinese poems that express human spirit.
The black piece represents male and the red piece represents female. Both express the relationship between a man and a woman. Japan’s Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves expresses the love between a man and a woman. I feel this artwork is reminiscent of those poems.
When an artist attempts to create something from an abstract concept, the creations become tangible. Before you know it, you will have designed objects such as trays and spoons. This year, the works of the award winners were not so unconventional. They are simple in form yet complex in meaning. I am touched by these truly outstanding works. This is the reason why Qi Xu’s, LOVE was selected as the Grand Prize Winner.
The Gold Prize Winner is Sachiko Kuroda. Her work is titled, KACYOFUUYA. I think it shows great promise that a woman would want to create a work that would enhance another woman’s beauty. This hair comb has the power to transform a woman’s beauty. The form of this piece is very unique. It follows the shape of a human head. The techniques used are superbly executed. When I evaluated this work, I assumed this was done by a middle-aged artist however the artist is in fact, quite young. In Greek works, you often see art combined with the human body. You rarely find a design between art and the human body in other cultures.
One of artists given the Silver Prize is Yui Matsumoto. Her work is titled, UTSUWA-BLOW-. As I evaluated this piece, I felt it had a relaxed quality. The shape of the mouth in particular delights me.
The other Silver Prize winner, Yuki Nakamura’s work titled, A Piece of Life is a new type of paperwork. The artist created a basic form with paper and coated it with Urushi. A variety of colored Urushi was applied and then hardened. Some precious stones were later scattered throughout the object. I feel as if the artist depicted colors from Munsell’s color system. Munsell’s color system only depicts basic colors. But if this color chart were to be manipulated into solid form, I feel the results would resemble this work. I was impressed by this piece in particular because it was very unique. The color combination of these precious stones is well designed, and I think the artist displays a great aesthetic taste.
For me, the works in this Final Assessment constantly intrigued me. I never once felt these works to be unoriginal. Instead, I felt incredibly exhilarated by them. In this year’s exhibition, I encountered many works from China. I thought this was perhaps the most unique aspect of this exhibition. For me, the Final Assessment was an opportunity to see works created by all the participants representing many different nations and regions.

Ohnishi : Next, we would like Mr. Mae to give his thoughts on the exhibition as well as discuss his expectations for the future.

Mae : This is my third time taking part in the Final Assessment. It was also my first time judging the Preliminary Assessment. One of four Honorable Mention Winners is from Wajima.
This work is done by The Wajima Shikkenkai Group and is called Minori. It has a hand-drawn Urushi silver net design. The surface’s texture is rough. The rhythm of the net design is intricately executed with each line reminiscent of lacework. The artist sprinkled gold powders on the edges of the work giving it a sense of refinement. The base consists of wooden material adding a sense of weight to the work. The lines of this piece are also incredibly fine.
In the field of art, we have an expression. One can find truth in an object that demonstrates an attention to precision. I think having precise attention to detail and focus gives you a true impression of the work.
When an artist imagines the form their work will take, they must find a technique that will work with the material. An artist must take advantage of the material they have chosen and work with its distinct characteristics to express their idea. I get the sense that this was the artist’s process in this beautiful work.
A second Honorable Mention Winner is Yukio Mizushiri whose work is titled Chinkin Hishi Komon This work is made from a combination of paulownia (a type of plant), and hiba. The edge of the oval tray is made out of several pieces of wood carved and coated with vermillion and Urushi. The technique used on the surface of this work is called the Chinkin carving technique (which happens to be my specialty) and carved exceptional patterns. From the right to left, the artist uses a chisel to engrave diamond patterns. Tiny dots create the whole pattern and from a distance, the patterns can be seen as lines. Together the large and small dots give the viewer a sense of rhythm as it gradually fades. Gold leaf is applied along with the color. I especially like this work because the pattern does not interfere with the functionality of the Urushi ware. The use of the Chinkin carving technique is executed beautifully and one can see that the artist is welltrained in this field. I believe artwork must demonstrate technique complementary to its design. This work has a wellbalanced design and technique, a perfect example of both.

Ohnishi : A third Honorable Mention winner is Bong Joo Cho, an artist from Korea. His work is titled ACCOMPANYING. It is a pair of garments dyed with Urushi. He is a monk who previously experimented with using Urushi on fabrics. In past exhibitions, similar types of works were exhibited however it proved to have some complications. The texture of these past works was a little too hard. However, this artist seemed to have corrected this problem. The texture of these garments is much softer and smoother. I would like to ask Professor Kwon Song-Oh to explain this work in further detail.

Song-Oh : It is my great honor to be invited as a member of the Assessments Panel. In Korea we have four big temples. One of the four temples is called Tongdo-sa Temple located in Gyeongnam. The highest priest Bong Joo Cho has researched Urushi for twenty years. He has even lectured university professors in Pusan on natural Urushi works. Six years ago he started dying materials with Urushi.
When a material is dyed with Urushi, the resulting color is brighter. In addition, when the material is dried, it also hardens. This work is not only dyed with Urushi but with other natural dyes as well. First, the material is dyed with natural dyes and then it is dyed with Urushi.
This process is then repeated. If you dye the material with Urushi first, the result will be different. Subsequently, the artist has been asked by many corporations in Korea to produce these garments. The work he submitted for this exhibition is traditional Korean clothes. As he continues his research on using Urushi dyes on fabric, I think he is capable of producing much softer fabrics in the future.
When I began my evaluation, I thought the size of all works to be a little small however; I was surprised to learn that it was produced by much younger artists. I think this is a positive sign for the future of Urushi ware.
The works submitted from China possess some Japanese influences. I have visited a lot of exhibitions in China in the past, but I have never encountered a work like the Grand Prize Winner, titled LOVE. I think all the works submitted from China are much more contemporary this year.

Ohnishi : I am acquainted with Bong Joo Cho. He is very active in the field of using Urushi dye on fabrics. He and other young priests are active in other art movements. He studied at Kanazawa College of Art as a researcher. His interest in Urushi began when he became a priest. Since then, he has been an active member in the Urushi community developing Urushi ware.
Next, I would like Mr. Yamamura to explain the last Honorable Mention Winner titled, UTSUROI by Kei Ogawa.

Yamamura : This is my second time participating in the Final Assessment. I am impressed by the variety of materials used in creating these works. From Zelkova (a type of deciduous tree), bamboo, and Paulownia to materials such as fabrics, pottery and porcelain, these are just a few examples of the materials used by artists in this exhibition. By using these materials, each artist has successfully applied their own Urushi techniques. In addition, they decorated their works with a variety of gold leaf and silver leaf, eggshells, and mother -of- pearl inlay. As a result, this year’s exhibition showcases a fine collection of Urushi works.
For example, the Silver Prize Winner is Yui Matsumoto titled UTSUWA-BLOW-. The artist uses a very interesting combination of materials. The upper part is made from Zelkova and the lower part is made of dry lacquer.
Next, I would like to talk about the last Honorable Mention Winner titled, UTSUROI by Kei Ogawa. This is a big work, measuring 1 meter wide. The three dimensional form is beautiful and unique. The three dimensional horse shoeshaped curve alternating from convex to concave is especially beautiful. When artists create such large works they often lack attention to detail; however this work shows careful attention to the detail of the surface. The completed work is like an orchestra of surfaces and lights. The backside of the work is just as beautiful.
I work in industrial design, and I understand how difficult it is to create three dimensional flow from convex to concave shapes. The artist prevented potential problems by creating a well-balanced work. This is a very intriguing work. It is reminiscent of the Mobius band discovered by mathematician, August Ferdinand Mobius.
This year the selected works vary in size. Each artist treats the material as if it was a close and personal entity to them. I think it is absolutely wonderful and exciting that these artists chose challenging material to work with. Urushi challenges artists to use a combination of techniques. In this exhibition, various craftsmanship and techniques are applied to various materials.
The works displayed in front of you possess completely different ideas and philosophies.
Each work has the power to perform successfully in different ways and that is why it was very difficult to decide the award winners. It is unfortunate the number of overseas applicants decreased this year; however the quality of the works submitted in this exhibition is extremely high.