Mine Tanigawa: The Poetry of Fragments Lacquer Art

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Artist Statement

I enjoy nature and spend lots of time observing the landscape. And at the same time, these are fragments of my memories where I keep and use them during my art- making. These moments allow me to immerse myself and get lost within time and space, and I feel that there are no boundaries between myself and the world, or between subject and object, the boundary lines begin to blur.
When I decide the shapes of my art pieces, I often get inspiration from plants or natural scenery. I will visualise it through drawing, sculpting and lacquer making. Applying layers of lacquer is a kind of meditating process. The ancient technique of lacquer making has been passed down from generation to generation. I love to create with lacquer as it is transitory yet enduring.

“The ephemerality of nature is embodied in my lacquer art as I try to capture nature’s shifting shape and form. At the same time, it gives a sense of permanence. The works at this exhibition represent fragments of my experience in the past year. I hope that viewers can appreciate my lacquer pieces like the ever-changing landscape or like the fleeting moments in life.“

Mine Tanigawa

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

A graduate of the Kyoto City University of Art, Japan, Mine Tanigawa is a contemporary Japanese lacquer artist whose lacquer sculptures display supple lines and curves. The well-crafted sculptures are unique, and the contemporary lacquer art embodies lightness with interesting structural forms. The lacquer pieces are polished and exquisitely made to perfection using contemporary material like fibre-reinforced plastic with urushi (Japanese lacquer) and crafted with traditional lacquer techniques.

Tanigawa had her first exhibition outside Japan, titled “Brush”, at The Gallery by SOIL in Hong Kong back to 2018. Prestigious hotels and venues commissioned her to create artworks for their projects, including Narita International Airport JAL First Class Lounge in Chiba, Japan; Agora Kyoto Karasuma Hotel in Kyoto, Japan; Shangri-la Qiantan Hotel in Shanghai, China; and Peninsula London Hotel in London, United Kingdom (due to open in 2022/3).