KOJI HATAKEYAMA
KOJI HATAKEYAMA 10 June - 3 July 2015
The directors of Erskine, Hall & Coe invite you to the private view:
Tuesday 9 June, 6-8pm, Artist Present
15 Royal Arcade 28 Old Bond Street London, W1S 4SP
+44 (0) 20 7491 1706 mail@erskinehallcoe.com www.erskinehallcoe.com
“Koji Hatakeyama was born in an area of Japan renowned for metal casting; Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He works with cast bronze - often lidded boxes - using skill and artistry to produce brilliantly coloured exteriors. The work is unpretentious and not necessarily intended to be functional. The focus is on the artistic and spiritual worth of a piece and for Hatakeyama the imperative is that “every article I make should live.” I first visited Japan thirty years ago and in time I have become increasingly interested in the beauty of Japanese bronzes. When I first met Hatakeyama twelve years ago he was making very simple cast bronze boxes with an unusual mat, woodgrain, texture. On my next trip to Japan I visited his studio and was delighted to discover that he had started adding coloured patinations to his boxes. In time these surface patinations grew richer and more complex but always retaining a Japanese sensibility. Using heat and chemicals he is able to create complex shades of red, green, turquoise, brown and black to stunning effect. When I asked how he creates his patinations, he replied “it is my secret,” but revealed that the essence is “ knowing when to stop.”
Eight Faces, 2015 34 x 37 x 16 cm KOH-0036 (for detail see inside front cover)
Hatakeyama’s work takes us on a journey. His forms are modern but steeped in ancient Japanese culture, using shapes such as a chaire (tea jar) or a mizusashi (water pot), used in the Tea Ceremony. And when we reach the point of opening these box-form sculptures, the revelation, rising up from these mysterious interiors, is the warm sunlight of gold leaf.” Katie Jones, 2015
Eight Faces, 2015 17.3 x 15.5 x 15.5 cm KOH-0026
Polygon Form, 2015 5.7 x 7.8 x 6.5 cm KOH-0011
Six Faces, 2015 8.4 x 11 x 8.4 cm KOH-0013
From left to right: Eight Faces, 2015 10.7 x 4.5 x 4.5 cm KOH-0017 Eight Faces, 2015 6.6 x 7.5 x 6.2 cm KOH-0010 Eight Faces, 2015 20.3 x 20.5 x 10.5 cm KOH-0028 Lozenge Form, 2015 6.7 x 10.3 x 7 cm KOH-0009 Eight Faces, 2014 14.5 x 12 x 12 cm KOH-0023
Eight Faces, 2015 17.5 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm KOH-0027
Eight Faces, 2015 6.2 x 6.5 x 6.5 cm KOH-0008
Eight Faces, 2015 7.5 x 10.8 x 7.8 cm KOH-0014
Six Faces, 2015 23.3 x 13.5 x 12.5 cm KOH-0032
Eight Faces, 2015 7.8 x 11.5 x 9.5 cm KOH-0015
Opposite from left to right: Six Faces, 2015 20.8 x 21 x 11.6 cm KOH-0029 Six Faces, 2014 9.9 x 5.4 x 5 cm KOH-0016 Six Faces, 2015 15 x 10.5 x 9.2 cm KOH-0020
Six Faces, 2014 15.8 x 15.2 x 11.6 cm KOH-0024
Six Faces, 2015 25.6 x 13.2 x 11.5 cm KOH-0033
Polygon Form, 2015 7.5 x 9.4 x 8.5 cm KOH-0012
Six Faces, 2015 15.8 x 13.6 x 12.6 cm KOH-0022
Eight Faces, 2015 12.2 x 5 x 5 cm KOH-0019
Six Faces, 2014 11.3 x 6 x 5 cm KOH-0018
Opposite from left to right: Six Faces, 2015 23 x 32.4 x 12.2 cm KOH-0035 Polygon Form, 2015 7.5 x 9.4 x 8.5 cm KOH-0012 Eight Faces, 2015 7.8 x 11.5 x 9.5 cm KOH-0015 Six Faces, 2014 9.9 x 5.4 x 5 cm KOH-0016
Ten Faces, 2015 18 x 21.5 x 21.5 cm KOH-0025
Eight Faces, 2015 23.5 x 13.5 x 13.5 cm KOH-0031
Front cover and above: Eight Faces, 2015 13.6 x 15 x 10.8 cm KOH-0021
Back Cover Six Faces, 2014 34 x 36.5 x 19 cm KOH-0037
We would like to thank Katie Jones for her help and assistance in making this exhibition possible.
All works are cast bronze, with gold leaf, silver leaf, platinum leaf, or a combination of these. The exhibition is illustrated online at www.erskinehallcoe.com/exhibitions/koji-hatakeyama-2015/ Design by fivefourandahalf Printed by Witherbys Lithoflow Printing Photography by Michael Harvey