RELAY 21-Ceramic 5th Relay

Shingo Takeuchi, Saki Hatanaka, HeyJa Do, Chris Lo, Lee Xiang-Hui Oct 07-Nov 30

Shingo Takeuchi
Born in 1955 in Seto, Aichi Prefecture in Japan, Takeuchi graduated from Aichi Kiln Training School in 1979. He started his own studio in 1982. Before becoming a pottery artist, he worked for a Japanese car company. On one occasion he had a chance to play pottery with his friends. Ever since then he fell in love with pottery and embarked on a journey of discovery and hard-working for 40 years. His principle of pottery is “Respect and be in awe of nature, for life is part of it. You will be rewarded with great works if you always keep up to your standards.”

In the modeling process, curved surfaces and sharp corners are interlaced to create a round and sharp multi-shaped surface which resembles 3D generated aliens from the future. The dynamic forms is a stark contrast to reality. Interwined and connected, every angle presents a different new form and endows a sense of power.

He has quite rich experience in exhibitions, including CyouzaAwards Ceramic Art Exhibition CyouzaAward, 1985;7Ceramist ceramics exhibitions in Japan GALLERY DAI ICHI (New York), 1995; Workshop On the International Asia-Pacific Contemporary Ceramics Invitational Exhibition at Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum, 2002; World Ceramic Biennale Korea International Competition Special Prize, 2005; Author's History of 20 Years AT Furukawa Museum of Art, 2011; Solo exhibition Jiemo craft Shanghai, 2018.

Saki Hatanaka
When Hatanaka started making pottery at university, She went to Korea to study in Buyeo because she liked Korean pottery, which is the origin of Japanese pottery. What attracted Hatanaka most in Korea was earthenware from the prehistoric period. After that, She went to see earthenware in museums in Europe and the Middle East, and she was moved by the common sense inherent in earthenware from all different places, regardless of where it was excavated.
“I think earthenware answers the essential question of why people make things.” she said.

Saki Hatanaka was born in Fukuoka City, Japan in 1995 and graduated from the Ceramics Department of Tokyo University of the Arts in 2020. In 2018, she went to Korea National University Cultural Heritage as an exchange student. She has many excellent works exhibited in Japan.

HeyJa Do
HeyJa Do is a fashion designer, visual art and ceramic artist based in New York. In 1992 she started her career as a fashion designer in Korea then in 2007 founded her company Dear:Rivington+, a vintage modern boutique, with her husband Moon Rhee in New York. As a Creative Director collaborating with ceramic artists through Dear:Rivington+, it catalyzed her to explore ceramics as another medium to express herself in 2016. Since then she self-taught herself and created a distinct trademark of her unique style. From then HeyJa’s work has been exhibited in several large galleries, hotels where her work garnered much attention. Her works are also admired by many architects, interior designers and private clients from all over the world who collect her works.

In this "RELAY21-Ceramic" exhibition, HeyJa Do especially brings you several wonderful works, including Riff, Dot Vessel, Anthropids, Blanc Sculpture and other works. Through the uniqueness of handwork, each piece has a distinctive feature. The unique feature is like a precious product. The addition of flowers brings an elegant sublimation to the environment.

Chris Lo
"Compared to perfection, I care more about the true feelings of the work." Hong Kong artist Chris Lo has been inseparable from nature since he was a child. There is no such thing as "perfection" in nature. For him, sculptures that are too smooth or symmetrical are inseparable. There is a sense of distance. He believes that the good and the bad should be together.

Chris Lo was influenced by art since he was a child. He studied at the Art Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he studied installation art and Western painting. As for the ceramic art, he started to come into contact with it when he was in secondary school, but at that time he only used it as a hobby, until he came into contact with ceramics again in the third year of college under the chance of fate. Tao's feeling for Chris Lo was not lost due to the passing of time. On the contrary, his love for pottery was further established after the contact again. The process of making pottery can be very close to "earth". For him who loves nature, he hopes to combine the concepts learned in the field of painting with "earth".

Chris Lo(1967-), born in Hong Kong, graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. For more than 20 years he has worked professionally as a ceramist. He has extensive exhibition experience. After moving to Taiwan, he founded Cobo Ceramic Taiwan and focused on creation. His works are collected in important art institutions, including the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, National Museum of China, The John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan, and private collections.

Lee Xiang-Hui
Lee Xiang-Hui studied graphic design when she was in university. It was not until 2012 that she joined Wu Wei-Cheng's studio "Inaction Pottery Workshop" to learn ceramic art, and then she began to learn ceramic art. As Lee Xiang-Hui's teacher, Wu Wei-Cheng has a profound influence on her. She tries to combine the skills and ideas she has learned, and uses the characteristics of materials to integrate the soul and the external environment into the work. For her, the pottery-making process is slow, but this kind of waiting is like gestating life. Through the careful and soft shaping of the process, the viewer can feel the cordial and simple feeling that ceramics bring to everyone.

Lee Xiang-Hui was born in Taichung, Taiwan in 1976. She graduated from The Department of Commercial Design of NUTC and engaged in visual design-related work after graduation. She used to study at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute-Ceramic Talent Training, and she is currently studying in Inaction Pottery Workshop with teacher Wu Wei-Cheng and assisting in management. She has participated in many exhibitions in Taiwan, including 「Secret Link」2017 Taiwan Design Explore, 「Keep Young And Carry On」National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, 「Gentleness around the fingertips」Female Craftsman Group Exhibition, Tsung Tea and 「Grow, transform with nature and Clay」Solo Exhibition.

Curator: Lingyi Cheng/ YiCOLLECTA