Misato Seki

Bio

Misato Seki majored in Urushi-Art (Japanese traditional lacquer) at Tokyo University of the Arts, and her graduation project—a wearable lacquer work—was acquired by the university museum. Since then, she has consistently created contemporary jewelry using lacquer, exploring the relationship between the body and adornment. Through the act of wearing, she explores new possibilities for lacquer, aiming to create works that harmonize with modern living spaces and fashion while utilizing the material's inherent characteristics. In 2019, she received the Herbert Hofmann Prize for “slit”. In 2024, “layer” (a collaborative work with Eri Asano) was acquired by the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustri-Museum.
 

Statement

The material used to make my artwork is called Urushi, or Japanese lacquer, and it has been in close ties with our culture as it has a suitable nature to the climate in Asia.
Urushi is the sap taken from Urushi-tree. Urushi has been used for various purposes from the old times as it has a strong adhesive property and elegantly forms strong coating films when it hardens. What is noteworthy is its invariant property. The fact that these dishes and ornaments with Urushi applied a few thousand years ago still have preserved colors speaks for itself.
The town where I was born was filled with nature, and since I was young, I have been fascinated by the beauty of the moment in ordinary, everyday life. I create my artwork with the hope of eternally preserving a temporary, beautiful moment with the timeless effect of Urushi.

 

CV      

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