Evolving Japanese crafts find a home in the U.K.

During a recent interview via video chat at the Collect craft design fair at Somerset House in London, artist Kazuhito Takadoi flips his iPad camera toward several of his sculptural works — complex pieces of fine hawthorn twigs carefully tied together with minute knots of waxed linen twine to form delicate three-dimensional rings.

“It’s difficult to explain the medium and sculptural aspects of my work in still images,” he says, as he pans around the pieces and takes the camera in for a close-up. “I collect the materials myself from nature and because it’s so intricate, I had to use tweezers to tie the threads.”

Takadoi, represented by Jaggedart gallery in London, is one of around 20 Japanese artists who showcased their contemporary works at the annual Collect event, which this year features over 30 galleries. Officially called Collect: The Leading International Fair for Contemporary Craft and Design, and produced by the U.K. national charity Crafts Council, the event was held in-person from Feb. 25 to 27 and will continue virtually through March 6.

Though the event isn’t categorized by region, Collect market consultant Daniella Wells says that this year, the exhibition saw many East Asian artists represented in international group exhibits, as well as a focus on East Asian artists by various European galleries, including Micheko in Germany, ESH Gallery in Italy, and Maud and Mabel in the U.K.

“During the first few years of the fair, works from Japan were the most prevalent. In more recent years, we’ve seen a significant expansion through East Asia, particularly from South Korea,” Wells says. “However, Japanese works of art continue to be crucial. Artists from Japan typify the maker mentality with a dedication to skills, respect for materials and honoring techniques from the past with a contemporary voice.”

For Japanese artisans, Europe has become an attractive destination not only for further training, but also for innovation within the blurred margin between craft and art.

“The U.K. has an excellent reputation for higher education in craft. There are excellent routes to market here,” says Caroline Jackman, head of the Craft Business Skills team at the Crafts Council, mentioning courses, training and creative enterprise offers at universities and colleges in cities such as London, Farnham, Birmingham, Plymouth and Manchester.

“In addition to this, Crafts Council U.K. is one of the leading business incubators for contemporary craft, through programs such as Hothouse, where emerging makers are provided with the skills to enable their business to establish and thrive.”

Events like Collect, says Takadoi — a horticulturalist and Leeds Beckett University garden art and design graduate — also offer creators a platform to show unique pieces to a generally more receptive audience.

“Museum collections in Japan usually have specific categories, such as bamboo basketry, ceramics or painting," he explains. "I do use some Japanese materials, like koyori (paper thread), but I harvest most materials myself, and my techniques are also self-invented. It’s not considered a craft there. So, I have been extremely fortunate to benefit from two very different cultures. Having been brought up in Japan I have naturally absorbed the Japanese aesthetic. This will never leave me and will always influence everything I do. But exposure to a less disciplined way of doing things in the U.K. allows me to stretch the boundaries.”

Kuniko Maeda, whose sculptures were part of Ruup & Form’s showcase at Collect, cites similar reasons for establishing herself in London. Her works — created in paper coated in kakishibu (fermented persimmon tannin lacquer), laser cut and manipulated into otherworldly organic forms — explore notions of sustainability and the potential of paper as a textile.

“I’ve been in the U.K. around 10 years, so maybe it’s different now, but I felt that in Japan, crafts had boundaries that couldn’t be overstepped, and that education focused foremost on honing technique,” says Maeda, who originally trained in traditional wood carving in Japan.

“When I came to the U.K. to study at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, however, the emphasis was on concept and research. I was given the freedom to explore, contextualize and embed creative approaches to sustainable design into my research and practices, as well as experiment with different materials and techniques.”

Increased concerns over sustainability worldwide, Maeda adds, may be contributing to a growing popularity of Japanese crafts and concepts in the U.K.

“I’ve met many people in London interested in Japanese crafts, especially mending and natural dyeing techniques, such as sashiko (stitching), shibori (indigo dyeing) and kintsugi (ceramic repair). You can even easily find classes to learn these skills,” she says. “I think Japanese techniques and ideas are a perfect fit for helping create a more sustainable future society.”

Silversmith Yusuke Yamamoto, represented at Collect by the Ruthin Craft Centre in Wales, was first drawn to Scotland by an artist-in-residence program at the Glasgow School of Art.

“I heard from silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki, who also established himself in the U.K., and whom I worked with in Japan, that there were more opportunities to become full-time artist silversmiths in the U.K.,” he says. “So after my residency, I applied for an exceptional talent visa and found work with Junko Mori, a Japanese metalwork artist in Wales, where I am now based.”

Using chasing and repousse to hammer-raise silver into unusual textures and sculptural patterns, Yamamoto has won silversmithing awards in the U.K., Holland and Germany for his vessels and artworks. The techniques, called "uchidashi" in Japan, he says, are similar to those used in the U.K., which has its own centuries-long history of metalworking. Like Maeda, he recalls craft education in Japan being technique-oriented, with concept and artistic expression only introduced later, but it was a lack of demand for silverware that was more restricting.

“I believe Japanese silversmiths are among the top in the world, and the training and apprenticeships contribute to that,” he says. “But silversmithing is a difficult market in Japan. I’m not sure why.”

Other Japanese works presented at Collect 2022 included bamboo, lacquer, ceramics and glass, all in contemporary forms and designs that push the boundaries of their crafts. Yet it’s the authenticity of background, however subtle, that Yamamoto says can work to the artisan’s advantage.

“For me, my uniqueness, my Japanese perspective, is an advantage in the U.K.,” he says. “My style of silver chasing involves patterns and, though I'm also inspired by William Morris and stained glass, my cultural education was in Japan, so I'm still influenced by kimono textile motifs, traditional Japanese artists like (18th-century painter) Ito Jakuchu and hanging scroll paintings.”

Likewise, Takadoi mentions provenance is of great interest to viewers of his work. “My story, my background, the unusual materials and how they are collected helps draw people in,” he says. Maeda notes that she has even been asked by visitors if she sold the kakishibu used for her pieces.

“There has been a dramatic growth in the number of people buying craft between 2006 and 2020. With 73% of the U.K. population buying craft in 2020, the sector has now entered the mainstream market,” Jackman says. “The total value of craft sales has increased from £883 million (¥136 billion) in 2006 to over £3 billion (¥462 billion) in 2019.”

Of that growth, sustainability, provenance, authenticity, artisanal works and the opportunity to support talent were important to purchasing decisions. Good news for craftspeople from anywhere in the world, and a sign that, if not in Japan, contemporary or experimental interpretations of traditional craft have a stable home in the U.K.

Collect: The Leading International Fair for Contemporary Craft and Design can be viewed online with an additional nine galleries through March 6 at www.artsy.net/fair/collect-2022.