Summer Show
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Exhibition Opens
21 January, 2025
LNL is pleased to announce the inaugural exhibition of the year, Summer Show 2025, showcasing the works of distinguished artists from Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Summer, in its light, warmth and vigour invites artists to engage with the season as a powerful catalyst for creative expression and emotional reflection. Participating artists, Aya Murata, Jihyun Kim, Koudai Ujiie, Les Blakebrough and Mayu Saito have explored this theme under their eclectic array of cultural and artistic backgrounds to create original and captivating porcelain surfaces and forms.
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Kodai Ujiie, currently based in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, continues to expand his artistic endeavors, including holding a solo exhibition in the UK in 2022, gaining significant attention both domestically and internationally. His works, which fuse traditional techniques and materials such as clay, colored lacquer, and crackle glaze with a strong sense of design, captivate viewers at a glance. They transcend the conventional boundaries of functional ceramics, presenting a vibrant and artistic allure.A highlight of Ujiie's creations is the innovative design achieved through the "urushi kannyu-sai" technique, in which colored urushi lacquer is soaked into the kannyu (crazing). This method imbues his works with a sense of life, creating surfaces that evoke delicate imagery of capillaries or leaf veins. Holding his pieces conveys a gentle warmth, while their organic forms deliver a dynamic and profoundly resonant impact.Additionally, the subtle shades that emerge on white porcelain, the glossy and vivid hues adorning his Oribe-style works, and the harmonious interplay of colors contribute to their magnetic presence as contemporary sculptural pieces.
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" My works are made using a traditional technique called "nerikomi" (inlaid clay). I mix pigments into the clay itself to create various colored clays, which I then combine to form patterns. The characteristic feature of this technique is that the pattern is part of the clay itself, giving the material a strong presence. As the clay moves, the patterns also shift, making it very fluid and dynamic, creating the sensation that the form is alive. This is why I use the "nerikomi" technique to express my works.
I then shape these clays into various forms, carefully ensuring the right balance. Rapid drying can cause cracks in the patterns, so I take great care and time to allow the clay to dry slowly. It is a very time-consuming and patient process. The theme of "vitality" is always present in my work. At the root of the world we call nature lies the power of all forms of life. In harsh environments full of fierce competition for survival, creatures use their fangs, poison, or beautiful camouflage to survive. I absorb and interpret the harshness and beauty of life in my creations. Just as humans experience emotions like inferiority and anger, which may seem poisonous, I believe that these feelings can also serve to elevate people and are, like nature, essential elements that contribute to beauty.
When making my works, I always aim to create forms that feel as though they are still alive, as if you can hear their breath. By using the traditional technique of "nerikomi," my works become more creative, allowing me to bring forms closer to the concepts and images I envision. The patterns in my works are always inspired by the "cells" that organize living organisms, and I believe their shapes and colors are something that can only be expressed through the "nerikomi" technique."
- Aya Murata
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Jihyun's creations beautifully blend sculptural and functional elements, inspired by her cultural heritage and nature's mystical aspects. Her exploration of organic forms, especially fungi, infuses her pieces with magical narratives, inviting viewers to discover magic in the mundane. With meticulous attention to detail and a fusion of artistic form and utility, Jihyun's ceramics transcend the ordinary, embodying a harmonious blend of tradition and imagination.
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Mayu Saito’s creative concept is to express the space that everyone inherently holds within themselves as the core of their being, by giving it a visible form (vessel). While based on the techniques of Kutani ware, her works feature organic forms shaped with rounded carvings, complemented by delicate and geometric patterns painted with overglaze. These works, combined with the unique transparency of white porcelain, present a contemporary and dignified impression that distinguishes them from traditional Kutani ware.
With a distinguished career spanning over six decades, Les Blakebrough has earned widespread recognition for his contributions to ceramic art, education and material development. Most notably, he dedicated over five years to perfecting Southern Ice Porcelain. This translucent, ethereal porcelain became a hallmark of his later work, marking a significant shift in his practice from functional wares to delicate, minimalist forms. The development of this medium not only transformed his artistic expression but also redefined the possibilities within ceramic art.
