introductory essay by ben chiesa 紀奕邦 撰著

Drawn from the diverse collections of the Ise Foundation, Living Kogei highlights over sixty works by prominent and emerging contemporary Japanese artists―including Living National Treasures whose skills have been recognised by the Japanese government. Ranging from rustic ceramics with asymmetrical forms, to abstract glass with elegant silhouettes and sensuous colours, each work demonstrates how contemporary artisans revere and carry on the long tradition of Japanese craft, while at the same time departing from convention in search of the new.

《藝流不息：伊勢文化財團藏日本當代工藝》精選展示逾六十件來自伊勢文化財團的當代工藝品。此等出自著名和新晉的當代日本工藝家──包括精湛技藝備受日本政府肯定的「人間國寶」──巧手的作品，既有造型不對稱的樸拙陶瓷，亦有線條輪廓優雅且色彩斑斕的抽象玻璃工藝品。每件作品既流露出當代工藝家對歷史悠久的日本傳統工藝的崇敬與傳承，亦體現他們如何從傳統中蛻變而有所創新。