Questions and Answers Session

Ohnishi : Today’s audience includes people from a widerange of lacquer ware producing places and people who are active in various artistic fields. Please feel free to ask the panelists any questions. Your opinions, thoughts, and impressions are welcomed. Before we begin I would like to point out that each Jury member exchanged their opinions with one another on each work before they selected the award winners.

Audience 1 : This is my first time participating in this exhibition. My name is Mr. Sakaguchi and I am a Maki-e artist from Wajima. When I entered this exhibition, one thing I couldn’t understand is why artistic and industrial works were judged in the same exhibition. I would like to know how each jury member conducted their evaluation among a variety of commercial, artistic, and traditional art works.

Ohnishi : That is a good question. The purpose of this exhibition is to welcome a variety of works. From commercial and traditional arts to folk crafts, all works will continue to be welcomed. Traditional arts and crafts have used techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation.
When the Jury members view each work, they take note of the techniques used. While these techniques are exquisitely executed, the work sometimes lacks a contemporary design. I hope artists will continue to study how to use their techniques while creating new modern designs. We would like to continue to value the creativity of all works.
The juror does not feel it necessary for separating entries into categories such as traditional crafts, crafts, and folk crafts. I hope artists will take advantage of this material and use it to the best of their ability. It is only when precise coating techniques and art decoration is combined with Urushi that new Urushi ware will be produced. This is the only Urushi exhibition in the world. So, I urge other artists to enter their works into this exhibition.
Urushi ware that is functional in everyday life is also accepted. Creative contemporary Urushi ware is also welcomed. The common consensus among the Jury members this year was that while works submitted from Wajima had exquisite techniques, the pieces lacked a contemporary style. We always discuss the importance of harmony between technique and design. As Mr. Sakaguchi pointed out earlier, Japan has many fields of traditional arts and crafts. Each field has its own set of rules and meanings. In the field of traditional arts and crafts, we greatly value techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation.
I hope these Urushi ware and techniques will continue long into the future. My hope is for young artists to become more active in the Urushi community. I also hope those artists who have already mastered traditional techniques to continue developing their design abilities and integrate them into new products.

Audience 2 : My name is Mr. Izumi and I am from Chiba. I decided to attend today’s Round Table Discussion because my work was selected in the Preliminary Assessment. The work I entered in the exhibition was my first Urushi work, and I was surprised to learn it had been acknowledged. From today’s discussion, I have learned the types of works that could be selected as award winners.
Unlike paintings, Urushi has its own unique appeal. I find that in order to produce creative works, an artist needs to include the use of some Urushi material. I would like to discuss this particular point in more depth with the panelists.

Ohnishi : I believe some artworks have great concepts but lack a certain aesthetic. For me, I believe flexibility in a work is incredibly important yet some works possess rigid and stiff qualities.
If an artist becomes too conscious or focused on the creation of their work, they fail to produce an adaptable and relatable piece. For example, the artist of the Grand Prize studies at The China Academy of Arts in Zhejiang Province which is a prestigious art college. She has great artistic intuition and you can see it through her works. Her work is adaptable and makes us feel a sense of importance.
In Indian Sumi-e ink drawing there is an essence of unpredictability in the execution of this technique. This is just one technique an artist can use in their work. In the past, artists learned to follow the process of a technique as they have been taught but one doesn’t factor the relationship the artist has with the people around them. This has a major impact on their work and could make it relatable to the audience. It is important for a piece to communicate directly with its audience. This was successfully done by Qi Xu, winner of the Grand Prize. She is still in the middle of developing her craft and I expect to see great works from her in the future.
Today’s participants have shown the functional aspect of lacquer ware and its advantages, however, I fear that this particular point is not realized by all artists. Long ago lacquer ware was exclusively enjoyed by feudal lords but now we have an opportunity to create extraordinary works accessible to everyone. By incorporating Urushi ware in our daily lives, Japan has the chance to show our foreign visitors that Urushi ware is convenient and functional.
When I held my own exhibitions abroad, visitors often commented, “Japan has excellent lacquer ware products, do you use it in your everyday life?” I proudly told them, “Yes, I use it every day.” There is a variety of ways for using lacquer ware at home. I will leave it to you to decide how best to use this material.