Yoshimi Arts is pleased to present the solo exhibition "Bears Live In The Hollow" by Keigo Kamide.

Japanese traditional crafts face many problems. The decrease in demand due to changing lifestyles and the rise of industrial products, have led to a decrease in the artisan population. This dilemma extends to the tools and raw materials manufacturers, resulting in the entire traditional crafts industry following a path of decline. Kutani ware, a traditional craft of Ishikawa, is no exception.
Keigo Kamide is the sixth generation heir of the Kutani Choemon potters, who have a 130-year history with Kutani ware. His diverse range of activities include conceiving an idea for a hand painted porcelain product, which is becoming increasingly rare within the Kutani ware practice itself, cooperating with Maruwakaya to realize a collaboration with world-renowned designer Jaime Hayon, and exhibiting his own porcelain work of “Kansho (Banana)” at the graduation exhibit at the Tokyo University of the Arts.
For this solo exhibition, we will be exhibiting Keigo Kutani’s work featuring bears, a subject matter that suddenly caught his interest at his solo exhibition in Nagoya last year. Following the “KUTANI CONNEXION” exhibition from this past March in Tokyo, this will also take place at Yoshimi Arts.
Since ancient times, humans and bears have shared a deep connection. The gall bladder of the bear was used for medicine, the fur for clothing or rugs. Because of how necessary and valuable bears were in order to survive, in some regions they were worshiped as the god of the mountain. From there we get the various festivals, myths and anecdotes surrounding bears. Moreover, their lovable and adorable appearance when they walk on two feet has made them popular far and wide all over the world, as motif for woodcarvings, stuffed animals, characters, and protagonists in animations. But on the other hand, despite their extensive existence in all parts of the country, since the dawn of history, art work surrounding bears has been significantly scarce compared with other animals. To trace the relationship between bears and humans may be one way to decipher art and craft from the perspective of Japanese history.
Keigo Kamide’s observations on bears is vast, and his expressions diverse. We want to investigate why Keigo Kamide is now directing his passionate attention to bears.

Information Provided by: Yoshimi Arts

Period: June 18,2016 (Sat)　〜 July 10,2016 (Sun)
Hours: 11:00-19:00
Closed: Tue, Wed
Venue: Yoshimi Arts