Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan

"Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan," turns the spotlight onto the contribution made by women to metalwork, an aspect of kogei that was formerly a male preserve and closely associated with samurai culture.  Although metals are especially hard to handle, shape, and decorate, the five featured artists have each devoted a lifetime to the medium, producing  masterpieces that are every bit as expressive and beautiful as work in less obstinate materials such as clay or textile. Featured artists in the exhibition are Osumi Yukie, Oshiyama Motoko, Hagino Noriko, Okamoto Yoshiko, and Otsuki Masako. Exhibited artworks, made from gold, silver, platinum, copper, lead, and unique Japanese alloys, worked in techniques including casting, chiseling, hammering, and overlay, in this exhibition will show that the women creators of these contemporary masterpieces are distinct in their personal modes of expression, but united in their embrace of traditional methods.