Covered box of hammer worked brass. “Moonlit night shore. Roughscale sole”

H 7.0 / ø 20.0 cm,Year.2023
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Chikako Ueda

1981 -
  • Metalwork
  • Price Range $2,500 - 6,000
    Info

    The prices of the artworks on Gallery Japan are determined by the artists themselves and are published directly on the website.

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  • Awards at Japan Kōgei Assoc. Exhibitions : 4

About the Artwork

Flounders that are not so big can be seen in the sand of shallow water. As a child, I used to go to the beach with my swim ring and looked into the water with my swimming goggles to look for flounders hiding in the sand.
I was looking at an illustrated book of deep-sea creatures that my daughter gave me, and I found the Roughscale Flounder. I thought that its bumpy skin and the way it was lying in the sand would be perfect to express with brass patina and finishing techniques.
The main structure is simple, but I tried to make the core with silver to exactly fit inside.
I used a chisel from the inner side of the lid to make bumps and dips on the surface.

Description

  • Category
    Metalwork
  • Materials
    Silver, Brass
  • Dimensions
    H 7.0 / ø 20.0 cm
  • Year of creation
    2023
  • Rarity
    Unique

Techniques Used

Hammer forming

In hammer forming (tankin), a mallet is used to shape a sheet of metal by hammering it into recessions in a wooden stump or block. Next, the metal sheet is worked on the end of specially shaped iron bars known as forming stakes (ategane) to gradually create the final form. It takes tens of thousands of hammer strikes to produce a single finished work.

Awards received

  • The 70th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2023)
  • Japan Kōgei Association New Artist Award

Comment on Award

As I like swimming in the sea and beachcombing, I go to the beach very often. Whenever I go to the beach, it's always clean. I am always thankful to those who keep the beaches clean, and I try to help cleaning the beach myself and help workshops recycling marine litter with my family. I get hints and motivation from such activities, and I came up with this piece.
I somehow have managed to continue using the metalwork hammering technique, but the more I do it, the more difficult it feels. Encouraged by this award, I will continue to work harder.
(from the Japan Kōgei Association newsletter)

photo Covered box of hammer worked brass. “Moonlit night shore. Roughscale sole”
Covered box of hammer worked brass. “Moonlit night shore. Roughscale sole” Chikako Ueda
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