OAO® ARTS & CRAFTS EXPERIENCE

OAO® ARTS & CRAFTS EXPERIENCE is an exhibition that explores new forms of culture and creativity through collaborations with a diverse range of artists, drawing inspiration from Japanese and international culture, art, and craftsmanship.

Reinterpreting the aesthetics shaped by place and history, as well as the philosophies embedded in materials and artisanal practices, through a contemporary lens, the exhibition transforms these ideas into experiences to be felt through works, spaces, and the body.

Through footwear, OAO has explored the relationship between the body and sensibility. Now, this inquiry expands into craftsmanship, art, space, and the rituals of everyday life. By creating a space where inherited sensibilities meet new forms of expression, OAO seeks to bring fresh perspectives to contemporary living and open new possibilities for future creativity.

ROKU

Set within Ochill, a meditation room in Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward, ROKU presents large-scale ceramic vessels and flat plates created by ceramic artist Takashi Tanimoto. The textures shaped by earth and fire, the substantial presence of each form, and the artist’s spirit embedded within the work come together in an exhibition that invites visitors to engage with the forces of nature and the sensibility of the maker.

At the venue, TENSHUDO KYOTO GION will offer a tea and sake bowl experience. The aroma of tea and the taste of sake awaken the senses, while the light filtering into the space and its stillness bring the vessels’ expressions into focus. By holding the vessels and feeling the texture and weight of their materials, visitors are invited to deepen their awareness of the vessels before them, as well as the earth and craftsmanship from which they emerged.

Centered around ceramic vessels, ROKU seeks to create a meditative experience in which space and the five senses become interconnected. Take a moment to engage with each work at your own pace, sensing through the body the presence of nature and the maker. Discover a moment of stillness in which to explore the “sixth sense” that lies beyond the five senses.

*The flat plate works will be available to order at the venue.

Ceramic Artist Takashi Tanimoto

Born in 1978 in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Takashi Tanimoto is a third-generation ceramic artist from a family of potters, following his grandfather Mitsuo Tanimoto and father Kei Tanimoto. He studied at the Kyoto Prefectural Institute of Ceramic Technology and apprenticed under ceramic artist Tadashi Mori. After studying in Italy, he established his practice in Iga, where he continues to create.

Working across a wide range of forms, from tea bowls, flower vessels, and sake ware to sculptural objects, Tanimoto draws on the distinctive qualities of Iga clay. He finds beauty in the asymmetrical forms of old Iga ware, the scorched effects of firing, and the complex textures of the clay surface, pursuing an expressive approach that embraces chance and playfulness. By layering the natural landscapes of the mountains—evoking the feeling of taking a deep breath in the open air—onto the character of Iga ware, he reinterprets an inherited aesthetic sensibility through a contemporary perspective.

@takashi.mitagama