The Hermès Foundation's Skill Academy will be hosting "Learning from Metal, Thinking with All Five Senses: Summer Open Classes" at SKAC (SKWAT KAMEARI ART CENTRE) in Tokyo from Wednesday, July 15th to Sunday, August 16th. This program offers a multifaceted experience of the appeal and potential of metal as a material through exhibitions, workshops, and talk events.
Leonor Serrano Rivas, Where We Expect to Find Flowers n3, 2025
Courtesy of the artist and carlier | gebauer
Photo: Roberto Ruiz
The Skill Academy is a project of the Hermès Foundation that aims to preserve, expand, and share artisanal skills and techniques related to natural materials. It started its activities in Japan in 2021. Through various experiences such as exhibitions and workshops, it explores the composition, techniques, and culture of materials from multiple perspectives.
Leonor Serrano Rivas, Installation view of Here Be Dragons , 2025
Courtesy of the artist and carlier | gebauer
Photo: Andrea Rossetti
Sayaka Shimada, Fireworks for another world that never came, 2022
©Sayaka Shimada
The theme of this exhibition is "metal," an indispensable element in our lives. The venue will host "Combination," a group exhibition by three artists: Leonor Serrano Rivas, Playfool, and Kiyoka Shimada. Through their practices of dialogue with metal, the exhibition will explore the nature of the chain-like "combination" between metal and the body.
Playfool, Installation view of a re(imitation) of Life , 2024
Courtesy of the artist
Photo: Naoya Toita
The event also includes a lottery-based workshop where participants can experience metalworking jewelry making, guided tours, and artist talks. The program is designed to deepen visitors' understanding of metals not just by looking, but by touching, thinking, and working with their hands.
Sayaka Shimada, R9+C9QP , 2020
Courtesy of the artist
Photo: Great the Kabukicho
Furthermore, an exhibition showcasing the results of workshops held this spring for junior and senior high school students will also be held concurrently. Through the words spun by the participants as they interacted with materials and through video recordings of each workshop, visitors can feel the creativity and breadth of learning that comes from making things.
Leonor Serrano Rivas, Where We Expect to Find Flowers n17 , 2025
Courtesy of the artist and carlier | gebauer
Photo: Roberto Ruiz
This event re-examines metal, a material that has walked hand in hand with human civilization since the Bronze Age, from the perspectives of art and craftsmanship. By engaging with the material using all five senses, you will be able to touch upon the spirit of craftsmanship and get closer to the essence of the material.
◆Skill Academy "Learning from Metals, Thinking with the Five Senses: Summer Open Class"
[Date]2026Years7Moon15Wednesday (Sun) ~8Moon16day
[Opening hours] 11:00-19:00
[Closed days] Mondays and Tuesdays *However, open on July 20th (Monday, public holiday) and August 11th (Tuesday, public holiday)
[Venue] SKAC (SKWAT KAMEARI ART CENTRE), 3-26-4 Nishikameari, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo
