Japan. Stillness & Substance

Artist list

Manami Aoki, Aya Iwata, Kimiaki Kageyama, Shinji Nakaba, Mariko Sumioka, Fumiki Taguchi, Kojima Takashi

In Japan, jewellery—apart from the kanzashi worn in the hair—has no real place in the traditional repertoire. It was never a marker of power, lineage or wealth; that role belonged to the kimono and the richness of its fabric. From this historical absence arises the singularity of contemporary Japanese jewellery. Freed from symbolic obligation, it appears as an autonomous gesture: meditative, restrained, almost silent.

In this open field, material becomes both language and subject. Wood, lacquer, silk, plant fibres and paper—all drawn from nature—carry a powerful sensory and symbolic charge. Chosen for its ability to express what escapes words—a sensation, a memory, a silence—material is never inert. It resists, vibrates, and gives form to the essential aesthetics of Japanese culture: wabi-sabi, ma and shokunin.


Talk: Japan, stillness and substance
October 1, 2026, at 6:00 pm (limited seating, by invitation only)
Sandrine Merle will have the pleasure of welcoming three artists participating in the exhibition Japan, Stillness and Substance, of which she is the curator: Aya Iwata, Mariko Sumioka, and Shinji Nakaba, who have travelled especially from Japan. Together, they will place contemporary Japanese jewellery in its cultural context—a particularly singular one, as, with the notable exception of kanzashi, the traditional hair ornaments, jewellery remained largely absent from Japan’s cultural repertoire for centuries.
Contemporary Japanese jewellery does not seek to dazzle; rather, it invites us to reconsider our usual criteria of appreciation. To view these works solely through the conventional codes of fine jewellery—brilliance, preciousness, visible virtuosity, or market value—would be to overlook their true intensity.

Opening Reception:  7–9 pm on Thursday, October 1
Opening hours:
Friday, October 2: 10 pm–6 pm
Saturday, October 3: 11 am–6 pm
Sunday, October 4: 2–6 pm
Monday, October 5: 10 am–6 pm
Tuesday, October 6: 10 am–6 pm

Special event:
Thursday, October 1: Lecture 6–7 pm (Limited Seating, By invitation only).