Crafting Life: Stories from the Japanese Studio

Hikoju Makie 彦十蒔絵

Hikoju Maki-e was founded in Wajima by Takashi Wakamiya, who led this renowned lacquer art group for over twenty years before recently handing over responsibility to the next generation due to illness. Now based in Kanazawa, Hikoju Maki-e Co. Ltd. has inherited Mr. Wakamiya’s spirit and commitment to the specialist craft technique of maki-e: a unique process in lacquer art which involves the sprinkling of fine gold granules onto urushi resin to create lustrous designs on the sculpted lacquer surface. In this new chapter, Hikoju Maki-e Co. Ltd. is now led by Teiren Taka and business partner Banjo Yamauchi, of the Yamauchi Family Office.

Left: Teiren Taka (current CEO of Hikoju Makie)
Right: Takashi Wakamiya (founder of Hikoju Makie) 

Ōtsuchi Sashiko 大槌刺し子

Ōtsuchi Sashiko 大槌刺し子 is a craft collective created in May 2011, only months after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March that year. It was first established as a recovery project to support women through sashiko, a traditional needlepoint technique used to mend and bolster garments which developed into a decorative craft. In 2021 the project transitioned into a self-sustaining brand, which remains committed to supporting its hometown, celebrating handmade craft, empowering makers, ongoing refinement of technique and fostering community connections. Comprising 15 makers, connected to a network of collaborators and clients in Japan and overseas, it has become a source of income, healing and pride, revitalising its community.

Kathryn Hunyor

Kathryn Hunyor is a Japanese-speaking curator, consultant, and speaker specialising in contemporary art projects across Sydney, Tokyo, and beyond. She collaborates with artists and presenters while consulting for major Australian arts organizations, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Opera House. As Head of International Tours at the Art Gallery of NSW and a regular lecturer on Japanese art and culture, Kathryn brings deep expertise to her work. Formerly Head of Creative Programs at the Australian Design Centre, she led the center’s artistic program, commissioning key curatorial and audience engagement initiatives. Her previous role as Cultural Officer at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo saw her managing Australia’s cultural diplomacy efforts in Japan. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Asian Studies and a Master’s in Japanese Literature from the University of Sydney. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at the University of Technology Sydney, researching the relationship between art and business in Japan from 1900 to 2030.

Bic Tieu

Bic Tieu is a designer, object maker, and jeweller, who lectures at the University of NSW, School of Art and Design. Her practice draws on traditional and contemporary craft and design methods inspired by her Asian-cultural lineages to investigate themes of personal and cross-cultural narratives. Specialising in traditional and contemporary metal and lacquer craft technologies, Tieu’s practice often utilises a synthesis of these materials to create different perspectives on contemporary object-making and meanings. Her recent work navigates cartographic ways to explore the ‘in-between’, creating new kinds of cultural objects that are representative of the hybrid and diasporic life experiences and identities represented in the diverse cultures of Australia. Bic’s practice revels in materiality expressed in object-based forms to create a better understanding of cultural diversity within the Asia-Australia context.

Rina Bernabei

Exhibition Designer
Rina Bernabei is a designer, ceramicist, academic and curator with thirty years design experience. She has worked in studios in Sydney and Milan and collaborated with architects and the design industry on custom projects. In 2002 she co-founded interior product design company bernabeifreeman with Kelly Freeman. Their acclaimed products have won numerous awards and feature in journals and exhibitions both locally and internationally. She has also curated exhibitions with the Australian Design Centre, Artspeople and independent art galleries. Rina has a long relationship with Japan, since first exhibiting there in the 1990s. Since 2020 she has been collaborating with Kyushu University and artisan ceramic studios in Arita. She currently has a collection of tableware in production in Arita, as well as other ceramic products selling in Tokyo. Rina is an academic with the Faculty of the Built Environment UNSW, where she teaches and publishes research in the field of emotional design.