Shoko Taruma

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1991, Taruma completed a master’s programme in crafts (lacquer art) at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Kyoto City University of Arts.

Japanese aesthetic sensibility has long cherished nature while finding beauty in darkness. Captivated by this tradition and by the unique depth of black urushi, Taruma expresses in contemporary sculpture a fusion of liquid-like, free-flowing form with in’ei, the shadow or subtle gradation of darkness into which that form seems to dissolve. When her work was exhibited in a room featuring Kanō school fusuma paintings designated as Important Cultural Properties, the dim light heightened the allure and presence of the urushi’s lustre. More recently, she has produced works that harmonise urushi with Imari and Jingdezhen porcelain, drawing the enduring traditions of Japan and East Asia into her own artistic style.