Ingegerd Raman is widely known as a ceramist and glasswork artist representing Sweden. But an ongoing exhibition in Tokyo offers something more.
"Sweden-Japan 150th Anniversary: Ingegerd Raman," the first major exhibition on Raman's works in Japan, shows that she always cares not that her works are admired for their decorative qualities but that they are enjoyed through everyday use.
The show being held at the Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, explores her artisanship through about 180 items, ranging from a carafe and a glass Raman designed for a Swedish company in 1968 (and produced in 1981) to a set of glassware she made for Japanese glasswork company Kimura Glass Co. in 2017. A series of bowls she has been making for decades also illustrates Raman's craftsmanship.
According to Raman, she places a high value on four qualities in her creations. Her works have to be beautiful, functional, easy to make and valuable, she said prior to the opening of the show.
It is also her philosophy as an artisan to share with others things on which she places value and to make only what she likes herself and would want to buy. Her words explain why her works are low-key and simple rather than extravagant or flashy.
Thus it was natural for her to be attracted to the understated nature of Japanese arts and crafts. Since becoming fascinated in the early 1980s by her realization that there are people in Japan who admire the same aesthetics, she has collaborated with some Japanese companies.
Among them is Koransha Co., an Arita-yaki (Arita ware) producer in Saga Prefecture, founded in 1875. As part of the "2016/" project, Raman made the "Tea service set," a series of stackable black and white cups, saucers and teapots, with the company two years ago, mixing her Scandinavian modernity and the traditional taste of the Japanese craft.
At the exhibition, the 180 works, which also include lampshades designed for Swedish furniture giant IKEA, are placed not in showcases but rather uniquely on 20 tables. It should also be noted that the exhibition allows visitors to examine Raman's works in rooms filled with natural light. According to Yui Nakao, a curator at the museum, light from outside is usually blocked at the gallery during exhibits.
One is likely to find the setting especially good for admiring Raman's simple, yet sophisticated series of glassware with natural light through the windows of the century-old Western-style building.
What is now the Crafts Gallery building was built in 1910 as the headquarters of the Imperial Guards. It was modified for use as an art gallery in 1977. In addition to the exhibits themselves, it is worth taking time to view the entrance, the stair hall and the exterior walls of the building, which were designated as important cultural properties in 1972.
"I hope visitors will enjoy Raman's creation not as artwork. Instead, I would like people to imagine how they can enjoy using these items in their everyday life," Nakao said.
-- "Sweden-Japan 150th Anniversary: Ingegerd Raman" will run until Dec. 9 at the Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Closed on Mondays.
Visit: www.momat.go.jp/english/cg/exhibition/ingegerd_raman/
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
