Seki who is inspired about Japan and Korean antiques does shape his work in the same bold and simple way, however there is always a new charmful characteristic added owned to Kenichi Seki. In Wajima, the way to make wood lacquered items are done divided by each task. It is rare to see an artist like Seki who performs the all steps from process of wood to lacquering on his own. His personality is reflected in every corner of his work, including the shape, carving, and lacquering. He has mastered the Japanese technique of wood carving called “kurimono” where he carves out from a single block of wood to create a shape. In this way the characteristics of the wood in former form translates to the carved work he makes fluently.
At this exhibition, we will present for the first time a work with a urushi lacquer in a color called 〈Kikuchi (red with yellow tones) 〉 which celebrates the long-awaited colors of spring. We will also present his other new styles of work and basic collection of wood pieces. We invite you to please see the wooden pieces in person. We feel this is a perfect stop to take while taking a refreshing springtime walk.
PROFILE
Kenichi Seki is a wood lacquer artist born in 1982 in Izumi-shi, Osaka. Seki first encountered the world of craft when his former university professor was working for a woodworking project of the Joseon dynasty. After graduating from university, Seki became an apprentice to the wood lacquer artist, Kazumasa Fujisaki. In 2012, he became an apprentice to the lacquer artist, Akito Akagi. Since becoming independent in 2019, Seki has based his artistic activity in Wajima-shi, Ishikawa.
