​Kensuke Nakata

Japanese Stoicism

In 2011 the people of Japan suffered a major catastrophe when the north of the island was hit by a devastating tsunami. Following a period of shock and grief the people displayed a remarkable sense of stoicism in dealing to overcome severe hardship and disruption to their lives. 

This work celebrates the resilience ingrained in the nation's soul and draws upon the long tradition of ceramics through the repeated action of creating cherry blossom petals out of porcelain. For the duration of the exhibition I will be spending extended periods of time in reflective contemplation making petals. Over the duration of the exhibition the number of petals will increase and go to form collections to be sold to raise money for the Aid for Japan, set up to provide support for children orphaned as a result of the tsunami.