Large Lacquer Sculpture by Koken MURATA

Irregular, torn-silhouette lacquer sculpture in gold leaf and black lacquer, worked directly onto a woven tatami substrate, the visible ribbed texture beneath the gold ground is the tatami weave itself. Black lacquer is applied in a dripped, splattered technique over the gold, characteristic of the artist's light and water idiom, with minor accents of pale green and white lacquer worked in among the black. Signed Koken saku (made by Koken) in red lacquer to the base.

Murata Koken, born 1956 in Kyoto. First accepted into the Nitten Exhibition (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) in 1976, going on to receive two Special Mentions and two Invitations, and serving twice as juror and twice receiving the Member's Award, most recently in 2019. Held a solo exhibition in Maastricht and Amsterdam in 1996, and participated in the Siebold House Contemporary Lacquer Art Exhibition in the Netherlands in 2017. Exhibited internationally, including in Chicago (1990), Edinburgh (2000), Norway (2005), Korea (2007), France (2008), Vietnam (2013), Taiwan (2016), Hong Kong (2017), and Shanghai (2018). Recipient of the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award for Distinguished Service (2016). Founder of Koken Lacquer Studio, executive director of the Japan Kogei Nikkokai Institute, board member of the Kyoto Kogei Association, and lecturer at Kyoto Seika University.

Measurments: Height: 112 cm ; Bottom: 79 x 54 cm