The Skies Above – The Lacquer of Mayu Nakata

A Lighthouse called Kanata

Finished

Artists

Mayu Nakata

Nakata has sprung forth in the world of Japanese lacquer through her innovations in reviving the ancient lacquering technique of “kinma”, imbuing it with a contemporary beauty at once both bold and electric. “Kinma” entails a painstaking process of carving patterns within a body surface and inlaying different colours within the incisions, thereby covering the entirety of the work with polished patterns imbedded within lacquer itself.

Yet not only is Nakata’s technique impressive, but it is also her slick ability to create minimal and simple forms that accentuate and heighten the beauty of her lacquered patterns that has propelled her career forward. Having been selected as a finalist at the Loewe Foundation’s Craft Prize in 2019, and with four public collections already to her name, Nakata’s recognition in the world of lacquer is quickly rising.

The artist’s latest collection for her debut exhibition at Kanata illustrates Nakata’s skill with simple forms, while harnessing lacquer’s ability to be transformed into a multitude of vivid colours such as bright yellow, turquoise, greens and reds. The artist often says that her works are like stories that build bridges between the peoples of the past, present and future, a dialogue in time that captures the ephemeral with the eternal. The poems of Mayu Nakata have only just begun.

Schedule

Feb 8 (Thu) 2024-Feb 24 (Sat) 2024