Curated and presented by The Gallery by SOIL
In collaboration with Keiko Art International
(Photography by Okamura Kichiro)
Kohei UKAI
Kohei Ukai was born in Aichi, Japan in 1993 and he earned his BFA and first MFA at the Kanazawa College of Art. From 2018 to 2021, he was trained in Kanazawa Utatsuyama Craft Studio in Japan, specialising in wood crafts and lacquerwork. Ukai’s work has been featured in art fairs and solo exhibitions in Japan and China. His work has been selected for the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition in 2014 and 2017 and received The Award of URUSHI (Japan URUSHI association) in 2018. He was the finalist, LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2020.
Ukai seeks to celebrate the primitive vitality of his materials. His technique consists of wood carving to first obtain the desired shape and of multiple layers of lacquer, Urushi, to get to this unique finish that makes his work so special. Urushi is the tree sap produced when a tree is damaged or a branch is broken, an ancestral technique that continues to be used today for its unique properties.
“The shape is carved along the grain of the wood without deciding the finished shape. There are times when I feel the moment when the claim of the tree and the intention of the creator are balanced, and at that time, the natural flow seems to move. I also want to show the process of lacquer swallowing wood.” In his working process, Ukai pays particular attention to protecting trees by naturally and unintentionally interacting with nature; a critical relationship between the lacquer and his raw material.
鵜飼康平
於1993年在⽇本愛知縣出⽣，並在⾦澤美術⼯藝⼤學修讀藝術學⼠及碩⼠課程。從2018至2021年，他在⾦澤卯辰山⼯藝⼯房受訓，學習⽊⼯及漆藝。
鵜飼康平的作品曾在⽇本及中國舉⾏的個展及聯展展出，其中有2014及2017年的⽯川國際漆展，他更於2018獲⽇本漆藝協會⼤獎，在2020年入選國際知名的LOEWE羅意威基金會⼯藝獎，藏家來自至歐洲、日本及中國。
他喜歡展示木頭的原始狀態，創作木材理想的形態後再重覆塗上大漆，形成渾厚的質感。大漆來自樹木，鵜飼康平的漆藝彷彿要把從樹上割採來的樹汁，回歸到樹木上：「我沿著⽊頭的紋理雕刻，順勢⽽⾏。有時候，我感到樹⽊⾃身的張⼒和創造者要找出保持平衡的⼀刻，那時，就會發⽣⾃然的流動。⽊紋看來像被漆吞沒了，但又依然並存的狀態。」
Kohei UKAI
Natural lacquer, ash wood, hemp cloth
H330mm x W580mm x D340mm
2022
Kohei UKAI
Natural lacquer, Camphor wood, hemp cloth
H190mm x W140mm x D120mm
2021
Kohei UKAI
Natural lacquer, Boxwood, hemp cloth
H480mm x W230mm x D80mm
2022
Kohei UKAI
Natural lacquer, Japanese cypress, hemp cloth
H370mm x W300mm x D70mm
2022
The Gallery by SOIL is dedicated to presenting the art of lacquer from Asia. It is probably the first gallery in Hong Kong which brings together lacquer masters and artists of diverse cultures, blending the traditional with the contemporary to showcase variety in the discipline.
Address:
Shop 102, 1/F, Barrack Block, Tai Kwun,
10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Opening Hours:
12nn - 6pm Tuesday - Sunday
Enquiry: 5916 9266 / 9559 3908
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