Celebrating Asian Art

Terumasa Ikeda: Iridescent Lacquer

March 16-April 16, 2023
Opening reception March 16, 6-8pm
32 East 67th Street
3rd Floor
New York 10065

Asia Week New York 2023 Online Exhibition »

Ippodo celebrates their 15th anniversary this season!

Ippodo Gallery is pleased to announce the first overseas debut exhibition featuring Terumasa Ikeda. Coinciding with Asia Week 2023, TERUMASA IKEDA: IRIDESCENT LACQUER is an unveiling of the artist’s signature alluring raden lacquerware.

Artist Talk
Wednesday, March 15, 11am-1pm
Terumasa Ikeda will arrive in New York to participate in this artist talk event. Art historian Deborah A. Goldberg, Ph.D., who wrote an essay for the exhibition catalogue, will engage the conversation.

Terumasa Ikeda (born 1987) is an innovative lacquer artist who fabricates shimmering mother-of-pearl designs engrained into the surface of wood in the raden technique. Ikeda’s idea is strikingly modern; the high-tech motifs that transform the surface into an electronic interface bridge the worlds of classical and contemporary lacquer. As if emanating luminescence from within, Ikeda’s works have become highly prized for the artist’s most technologically advanced method, and never before have his works been available for direct purchase by audiences outside of Japan.

Ikeda, who earned his B.A. and M.A. from the Kanazawa College of Art, was drawn to the city as Kanazawa is considered the historical hub for lacquerware in Japan. Under the tutelage of lacquer master Shinya Yamamura, Ikeda trained in the mother-of-pearl inlay technique’s traditional and highly technical aspects. As a student, Ikeda’s experiences in Nepal fostered a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and everyday handmade objects. The vibrant and complex wooden architecture and the culture of making that included every generation of the family from elder to child sparked inspiration inside Ikeda. The Nepalese encounter pushed Ikeda to question the parameters of craftsmanship as an age-old method of interpersonal communication. In this modern day, is there a shared visual language? The visual language of raden, which began as ornamentation and opulent treasures part of the Shosoin Repository in the 8th century, historically projected images of kachōfugetsu, “the beauties of nature.”

Be sure to read Ippodo's journal, published weekly, including an upcoming feature on Terumasa Ikeda’s March exhibition. The artist will attend a forthcoming reception hosted by Ippodo Gallery at 32 E 67th Street to discuss his work and answer questions. All are welcome.