ISHIZUKA Genta

Genta Ishizuka is a contemporary lacquer artist whose work redefines traditional urushi techniques through an exploration of tactility and form. Living and working in Kyoto, Ishizuka earned his BFA and MFA in Urushi Lacquering from Kyoto City University of Arts, including an exchange program at the Royal College of Art in London. His practice centers on the physical and perceptual qualities of lacquer, which he describes as existing “in between and around the membrane.”

Drawing on ancient techniques such as kanshitsu (a sculptural method developed in Japan during the 7th and 8th centuries), Ishizuka builds three-dimensional forms that emphasize the reciprocal relationship between interior structure and surface skin. Inspired by everyday objects like mesh fruit bags, his works reveal how lacquer’s fluid nature responds to tension, gravity, and touch, resulting in objects that feel at once organic and dynamic.

Ishizuka’s work has received international acclaim and is held in major public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In 2019, he was awarded the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, affirming his position as a leading voice in contemporary Japanese craft.