YOD Gallery is delighted to present, filter, an exhibition by Ryo and Yuko Sekino. They had established their studio, 'SOTRE GLASS', in 2012 at Fukusumi, Sasayama city, Hyogo prefecture. 

Ryo was born in 1978, Osaka , started his study of glass production since he was at Osaka Designer's College. His career begins with working for a glass manufactutre SATAKE GLASS CO., LTD. as an assistant. After that, having met Tsuyoshi Tsujino, who runs glass blowing studio called 'fresco', he gained skills under Tsujino's direction. This became the foundation for his future career as an independent artist. After Ryo had exprecienced many workshops and traveled overseas, he had been hired as a part-time junior technician, then, promoted to full-time for the glass course at the craft department at Osaka University of Arts. With such rich experience in craftsmanship, he began his career as an independent artist since 2010. The series called "Goblets" reminds us of drinking vessel with legs from early modern periods, such as Venetian Glass. The series consist of several different techniques of blown glass and prised for display of highly skilled craftmanship. The work have influence of Japanese sake cups and playful fun elements of such crafts are acclaimed as original and cutting-edge.

Yuko was born in 1985, Osaka, graduated from glass course at Osaka University of Arts in 2008. After working for the glass blowing studio, 'fresco', as an assistant, she had traveled to the states and deepen the knowledge of the crafts. Currently, she is also working as an independent artist. The name of their studio, SORTE, has meanings like, luck and future in Italian and location of their workshop is called Fukusumi, meaning blessed town in Japanese. Their works reflects such blessing from their environments and people associated.

In this exhibition, artworks are created by two independent artists, Ryo and Yuko, which are consist of three parts. First, titled 'filter of light', focusing on transparency of glass as material. Water contained in the glass bowls create shining light, enhancing transparency of glass and reflection on the gallery floor represents hopes and subtly waving water surface represents nature. Second, titled 'filter of oneself', reflecting one's own images in the artwork which challenges the mind of the viewer to reflect back into your own thought and tries to draw attention to themselves. 

Third is titled 'filter of time', representing present time, one could say a moment, by means of half of sand clock containing broken glass pieces and drop of sand from the container above, in this case, glass pieces are spread on the gallery floor. There are clocks hanged on the gallery wall surrounding this broken glasses. Their movements are hard to see as they are hidden by the translucent glass bulbs. This gives out the viewer the feeling of uncanniness as if time is captured in the bulb since the comparison to the reality of outside world with time constantly running.Through those three 'filters', artists, Ryo and Yuko Sekino created artworks which contain time and space, and apparatus to reflect oneself from the past to the future in order for the viewer to experience the moment of finding happiness and time to think about ones own future.

*image (left)
Ryo Sekino,
'filter', 2014,
Glass ( Glassblowing)
courtesy of the artist and YOD Gallery