Poetic Pictogrammes | 2016

The exhibition presents not only works in porcelain made in Switzerland, but also lacquer bowls devised by Margareta Daepp and realised by the urushi master Kei Nishimura. The bowls and containers with their geometrical shapes and blossoms have been placed together as a kind of installation to form a whole. It is a very Japanese sense of beauty that is conveyed here. The objects have been deliberately staged to produce a world of great vibrancy through their spatial composition and their multivocal relations to one another (Photo 1).

The allure of Daepp’s works also comes from the fact that she draws on elements of the local culture and tradition and interprets them in her own individual, original way. With this her style introduces new, refreshing notes to the world of contemporary ceramics. Her references to culture and tradition are particularly noticeable in her choice of colours and ornament (checks), as well as the techniques she employs (traditional lacquer work – urushi). And with her spatial arrangement, the clear, simple forms and ornaments in the individual objects come together to present poetic pictograms that radiate peace and harmony.

Daepp’s work reveals not only inspiration, sensibility and sensuality but also an incomparable creative urge in which one can recognise what may be called western rationality. For which reason her works ultimately have something global about them, something that can be grasped across borders and cultures and that captivates no few of the gallery's visitors.

Shin’ichi Magari: Curator, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga Prefecture.

(Exhibition of Works by Margareta Daepp, 20 June to 2 July 2017, Galerie Yuragi, Kyōto)