New Artists from Japan

Happy May Day all.

We just started to show the works by two of Japanese artists from Tokyo, Mari Hanzawa and Yori Nakamura. Please feel free to swing by our gallery space for Mari Hanzawa’s knitted Japanese KOKESHI dolls and Yori Nakamura’s handmade accessories made with vintage button collections, their works will be here limited time period.

MARI HANZAWA

1985 Started career as model in Tokyo
1990 Work as photographer manager at Hanzawa studio
2011 Volunteering after Earthquake in Tohoku for her hometown

2012 Started to create Coquesienne

2013 First solo exhibition at Gallery @btf in Kachidoki, Tokyo
2014 “SICF15” at Spiral in Aoyama

Message from MARI

Right after huge earthquake had happened on March 11, 2011, I went back to my hometown in Miyagi every month for volunteering. Though I’ve done so many things to get people back to normal life there as a volunteer, I would like to do something special as an artist to cheer up people in Tohoku; it was the time when”Coquesienne” knitted doll which has shape of KOKESHI was born. KOKESHI is one of the most famous souvenirs which is handmade wooden doll made by local craftsman in Miyagi prefecture from Edo era (late 18th century). I would like to continue creating them and be a new icon of restoration of Tohoku, Japan.

YORI NAKAMURA

Graduated from Bunka Fashion College in Display Design Major
After she had worked as Window Display Designer at department stores, Visual Merchandiser and Food Coordinator, she started her career as a Button Artist. She has done many exhibition at various venues in Tokyo, also teaches classes “how to create button art pieces”. At this time, we exhibit her button x zipper necklaces, brooches, zip earrings, and more.

Message from YORI

There was a picture from one of my friends who was in a support activity group of elementary schools in Nepal. “They don’t have even a spare button for their school uniform.” Me and my friends decided to establish a fund for buttons, then we received hundreds of colorful buttons over many years. As I see many of buttons in different colors, shapes and materials, they get me to creating something and I end up with those accessories.