160:âI am always drawn to visual impact of an aggregate assembled with many small components,â states Mori on her website. âI find infinite possibilities of the form multiplied by the vital power beyond the physical space, such as cell division through a microscope.â While the individual components of her sculptures may look similar to one another from a distance, the nature of the metal medium and forging process allows for subtle variations between these small components, creating an aggregate form even more complex than it first appears. Mori describes these variations as ârepeating little accidents, like the mutation of cells,â alleging that âthe final accumulation of units emerges within the process of evolution.â âThe uncontrollable beauty,â she says, âis the core of my concept.â
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On the artist's website, there is a "Research" page that features a collection of these drawings, which range from monochromatic botanical drawings to vivid multicolor depictions of plant matter with surrealist elements. Mori compares this drawing process to "jogging" before going on a more intense run; drawing warms up her mind, gets the wheels turning, and places her into the proper headset to begin work on her three-dimensional pieces. Once she begins working the metal, Mori has stated that the meditative process of repetition can cause her mind to go a bit blank so that she loses track of the time, but eventually, "the artwork tells her when it is finished." At a certain point, she steps back, looks at the piece, and realizes that it is complete.
79:, as does the size and scale of her works, which range from smaller tabletop pieces to largescale sculptures. Her distinctive style is one of contrasts and blending, drawing on her metalworking and sculptural education in both Japan and the UK, as well as constantly blurring the boundaries between so-called 'fine art' and craft. She has been described as "one of the most innovative and exciting Japanese metal artists working today," and has exhibited widely internationally throughout the past several decades. Her work can be found in the collections around the world, including
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245:. Her first studio was also in Manchester, but eventually the couple sought more studio space. Mori used to travel to Wales for surfing and bodyboarding, and enjoyed the country for its access to the sea, beach, and mountains. These attractions, combined with the affordable housing options, prompted the couple to purchase a house there. Moriâs current metalworking studio was converted from a pig shed, and her husbandâs woodworking studio from the old horse shed. They have two children.
136:. Though she didnât speak any English at the time, Mori has said she was immediately attracted to their metalworking course. She found the difference between the Japanese and British education systems highly intriguing, stating that the latter allowed her to cultivate a more process-based approach. She received her B.A. in Silversmithing and Metalworking from Camberwell in 2000. She then spent two years as artist-in-residence at
121:, where she received her B.A. in Industrial, Interior and Craft Design/Metalwork in 1997. However, after her completing her first degree, she felt like she was not fully accepted into either the fine arts or industrial arts spheres in Japan as her work fell between these two areas. She ultimately took some time off of study to spend a year working on
107:, and she would regularly help her father with repairs and little projects around the house. Mori has stated that, for as long as she can remember, she was obsessed with making and creating things, looking for tools and artistic materials with which to create; at eight years old, for example, she says that she asked Santa Claus for a
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She has stated that she does not usually plan her pieces individually beforehand; they take shape through her creative process. However, she does create drawings and sketches that help facilitate this process, though they are almost never indicative of the form that her final sculptures will take.
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Mori makes complex sculptures of hand-forged steel or silver. While at
Musashino, she originally found metal to be the most difficult medium to work with, but it was also this very challenge that drew her to metalworking again and again. These decades of effort have resulted in dynamic pieces that
103:. Her mother was a school nurse, and her father worked as a mechanical engineer who designed video recording devices. Growing up, Mori has stated that both of her parentsâ professions had a profound impact on her own interests: her motherâs interest in the natural sciences drew her to
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Mori claims that she was never particularly academically inclined, and that her interest in art and making things continued through secondary school. This interest led her to the
71:, Moriâs works are aggregate pieces usually connected thematically and visually to her observations of living matter, particularly plants. Her choice of metal varies widely from
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2001 - NEXT MOVE, supported by Crafts
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showcase the plasticity of metal and appear almost as alive as the plant matter from which they draw their imagery.
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Mori's work can be found in a number of public collections around the world, including:
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635:"Material Matters with Grant Gibson: Junko Mori on Metal," The Goldsmith Centre.
576:"Material Matters with Grant Gibson: Junko Mori on Metal," The Goldsmith Centre.
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This article is about a
Japanese metalworker. For the Japanese composer, see
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2005 - Shortlist, Jerwood
Applied Arts Prize 2005: Metal, Jerwood Foundation
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2009 - Second Prize, Schoonhoven Silver Award, The
Netherlands
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Mori first met her husband, a woodworker, at an arts event in
682:"Material Matters with Grant Gibson: Junko Mori on Metal,"
540:. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed August 2021.
479:"Material Matters with Grant Gibson: Junko Mori on Metal,"
432:"Material Matters with Grant Gibson: Junko Mori on Metal,"
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2019 - Finalist, Loewe Craft Prize, Design Museum, London
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525:. London: Crafts Council. Archived 23 December 2005.
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260:2002 - Gold Medal, Bavarian State Award at TALANTE
128:A former professor eventually introduced her to a
513:. London: Crafts Council. Archived 21 April 2015.
803:People associated with Liverpool Hope University
263:2003 - Crafts Council Business Development Award
660:. London: British Museum. Accessed August 2021.
379:, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design,
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330:, Australia in association with Adrian Sassoon
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35:, forged steel sculpture by Junko Mori, 2006,
324:Collect: Visiting Nature Junko Mori Metalwork
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370:Out of Sight: Drawing in the Lives of Makers
60:(born 1974) is a Japanese artist based in
658:Propagation Project; Ring of Small Petals
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390:, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
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206:Museum fĂźr Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
763:21st-century Japanese women artists
753:20th-century Japanese women artists
372:, Contemporary Applied Arts, London
500:Junko Mori, www.adriansassoon.com.
319:in association with Adrian Sassoon
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196:Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
523:Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 2005
342:Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 2005
16:Japanese artist and metalworker
709:"Junko Mori: Curriculum Vitae"
187:Art Gallery of South Australia
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768:21st-century Japanese artists
758:20th-century Japanese artists
697:Junko Mori: Official Website.
671:Junko Mori: Official Website
646:Junko Mori: Official Website
616:Junko Mori: Official Website
591:Junko Mori: Official Website
509:Grant Gibson (3 July 2013).
388:Japanese Contemporary Design
85:Victoria & Albert Museum
305:, Bluecoat Display Centre,
218:National Museum of Scotland
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558:. The Financial Times, Ltd
413:The British Museum Website
224:National Museums Liverpool
181:Victoria and Albert Museum
142:Jerwood Applied Arts Prize
134:Camberwell College of Arts
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313:Junko Mori: Coppiced Wood
291:, 21st Century Showcase,
138:Liverpool Hope University
99:Mori was born in 1974 in
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115:Musashino Art University
95:Early life and education
315:, The Holburne Museum,
249:Awards and achievements
212:National Museum Cardiff
64:. Working primarily in
348:, London & UK tour
293:Manchester Art Gallery
201:Manchester Art Gallery
175:Honolulu Museum of Art
89:Honolulu Museum of Art
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37:Honolulu Museum of Art
798:Artists from Yokohama
773:Japanese silversmiths
552:"Postdigital Artists"
481:The Goldsmith Centre.
346:Metal, Crafts Council
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23:Junko Mori (composer)
684:The Goldsmith Centre
550:Openshaw, Jonathan.
434:The Goldsmith Centre
277:Selected exhibitions
132:who had studied at
33:Propagation Project
793:Women silversmiths
783:Japanese sculptors
360:Millennium Gallery
81:the British Museum
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778:Women metalsmiths
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335:Group exhibitions
148:Work and holdings
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788:Modern sculptors
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743:1974 births
612:"Biography"
130:silversmith
737:Categories
587:"Research"
511:Real Steel
395:References
303:Junko Mori
297:Manchester
289:Junko Mori
243:Manchester
144:in metal.
87:, and the
77:mild steel
55:Mori Junko
43:Junko Mori
364:Sheffield
307:Liverpool
69:sculpture
66:metalwork
721:20 March
562:20 March
418:20 March
328:Adelaide
191:Adelaide
101:Yokohama
621:25 June
596:25 June
465:24 June
386:2022 -
383:, Japan
375:2017 -
368:2014 -
351:2009 -
340:2005 -
322:2018 -
311:2013 -
301:2006 -
287:2005 -
123:welding
109:jigsaw.
556:FT.com
381:Toyama
105:botany
83:, the
73:silver
712:(PDF)
491:Ibid.
445:Ibid.
119:Tokyo
62:Wales
723:2023
623:2022
598:2022
564:2023
467:2022
420:2023
317:Bath
228:The
216:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
