This year marks the 250th "MASI Contemporary Art Project" sponsored by MASI, a long-established winery that has been in operation for 6 years in northern Italy. Artists from five countries have been selected so far, but this year, the work of Japanese artist (lacquer artist and maki-e artist) Yasuhiro Asai was selected, and a presentation of his work was held at the Italian ambassador's residence. Ta.
Mr. Asai's incense burner selected this time and a wine label with an image of his work as a motif attached to a bottle from the past vintage 2400, which was the best, were unveiled. Only 1200 of these bottles will be sold, of which XNUMX will make it to Japan.
Maasi was the first winery established in the Valpolicella area in 1772, and the winery name comes from "Vaio dei MASI" (Little Valley of Maasi). It has been run by the Boscaini family for over 250 years, and the current owner, Sandro Boscaini, is the 6th generation. It is a large company in the local area, and the project aims to foster young artists who will be active around the world as cultural patrons.
The lacquered mother-of-pearl incense burner “Saika” created by Mr. Asai was selected this time.
Mr. Asai said that his feelings toward materials and techniques overlapped with the rich philosophy of MASI wine, and he created his work with the keywords "Western" and "fragrance."
The taste and aroma of Costasera Amarone's painstakingly crafted wine is profound and elegant, and I feel that it is truly an art. Based on this idea, I spent about two years creating this work using traditional techniques and a modern design sense. I created it.
Japan has a culture of enjoying incense, and incense burners are one of the important items used for this. By putting incense into this utensil and smelling it, you can enjoy the scent of smoke. The pattern of grapes has been depicted in many works of art as a Makie design since ancient times, as it has a connotation of fertility in Japan and the word "grape" is pronounced the same as the word "martial arts" (chivalry in the West). The blue and purple colors obtained by pasting seashells express the hue of the grapes and the drops that come from them. The arch-shaped design decorated with fine gold is said to be a design that embodies the culture itself that has been passed down from generation to generation. The color of the grapes and the shape of the culture are each made using universal techniques and materials, and they are proud that this maki-e mother-of-pearl incense burner, ``Saiko,'' is a wonderful work that represents the intersection of Japanese and Italian cultures.
The garden of the official residence of the Italian ambassador, a historic site with a deep connection to Japanese history, is the site of the former Matsudaira Oki no Kami residence.
Bari, Puglia, ItalyChef Antonio Scalera of Ristorante "LA BUL", who came to Japan from Japan, provided the food. Despite the unpretentious buffet-style presentation, the taste was top-notch!
With Mr. Asai
Yasuhiro Asai
Born in Tottori Prefecture in 1983. In 2004, graduated from the lacquer crafts course at Takaoka Junior College, National University of Toyama. In 2005, she studied under Kazumi Murose (holder of Important Intangible Cultural Properties). In 2011, she graduated from the correspondence course at Musashino Art University's Faculty of Art and Design. Since around 2004, she has been growing her own lacquer trees and currently uses the lacquer in her works. His awards include the Japan Lacquerware Association's ``Lacquer Scholarship Award'' in 2002, the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition ``Newcomer's Award'' in 2012, and the 2015nd Japan Traditional Lacquer Art Exhibition ``Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Award'' in 32. .
Mio Shimamura
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