On the last day of May, I visited Yui Shakunaga, a young female metalwork artist, in Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture.

Unfortunately, the Tateyama mountain range was shrouded in mist, so its majestic peaks were not visible. However, the fresh greenery was beautiful, and the white dogwood trees in the workshop were in full bloom, which was magnificent.

Iku Shakunaga is the second daughter of Yukio Shakunaga, a ceramic artist of Etchu Seto ware. Her older sister is Yo Shakunaga and her older brother is Takeshi Shakunaga, making her the youngest daughter in a family of ceramic artists.

After working for the jeweler "MIKIMOTO," Ms. Yui decided to make a fresh start four years ago, becoming independent and beginning her career as a metalwork artist.

Now, my first encounter with Iori's work was three years ago. It was a fascinating "ring-shaped lid rest."

I really liked the lustrous appearance of the twisted ring made of brass, and thankfully, it was well-received by our customers.

Later, he expanded his work to include vessels and objects made from materials such as copper and tin, with countless dots of various sizes drilled into them. I was drawn to the atmosphere and forms of his work, which led to this first solo exhibition.

The more than 50 new works to be presented in this exhibition can be broadly divided into two categories: a group of wall-hanging works featuring beautiful, "floating" objects, as suggested by the subtitle, and a group of functional vessels such as vases and plates.

This wall-mounted object casts beautiful shadows, so it's best enjoyed in a place where it receives sunlight.

I would be grateful if you could offer guidance to this aspiring metalwork artist.

Shop owner Takashi Yasuda