“Japan – Stillness and Substance” (“Japon, Murmures et Matières”) is the natural culmination of my work in the field of jewelry and of my many journeys to Japan. These travels have given me the opportunity to meet designers and artists in their own environments. Some encounters took place in studios in Tokyo, while others required several hours of travel by train. These relationships developed through patient conversations, sometimes slowed by the language barrier, but always driven by the same curiosity and shared passion. This is how “Japan – Stillness and Substance” came into being.
The exhibition is not intended to offer an exhaustive overview of contemporary Japanese jewelry. Instead, it brings together seven artists whose work struck me through its quiet intensity, its profound relationship with materials and its ability to transform the way we perceive what a piece of jewellery can be. Here, value emerges from gesture, time, the transformation of materials and the emotional resonance they carry. In the privacy of the artists’ studios, I was able to observe their gestures, explore their techniques and attempt to understand how a culture shapes a particular way of making jewelry. Their pieces never seek to dazzle. To view them solely through the conventional codes of fine jewelry—brilliance, preciousness and market value—would be to overlook their true worth.
Here is an exclusive preview of the seven artists featured in “Japan – Stillness and Substance”.
Mariko Sumioka
Mariko Sumioka spent part of her childhood in Brazil and now draws much of her inspiration from Japanese architecture. She works primarily with silver, enamel on copper, mother-of-pearl, coral and gold, selecting each material for its physical, chromatic and symbolic qualities. Her technique involves assembling individual elements to create patterns reminiscent of the overlapping tiles found on the roofs of traditional Japanese temples.
Aya Iwata
How can an object hold a presence and give memory a form that keeps a bond alive? Drawing on her Protestant faith, Aya Iwata responds to these questions through her Kumonoie brooches in silver and cloisonné enamel, which develops a unique depth when fired. She explores themes of memory, connection, and the passage of time through material and form. Her work is held in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges.
Shinji Nakaba
A finalist for the 2023 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, Shinji Nakaba has developed a sculptural approach to jewelry. He is known for his distinctive use of pearls and his dedication to the art of glyptic carving. Today, Nakaba adapts this technique to elevate everyday household plastics destined for the trash. These reclaimed materials, including plastic bags, take on an unexpected beauty reminiscent of ancient marble, enriching the narrative and material complexity of his pieces. His work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Kimiaki Kageyama
A leading figure in jewelry education in Japan, Kimiaki Kageyama considers himself an experimenter. His work is marked by close attention to materials and their transformation. He uses urushi lacquer removed from its wooden support—a dense, lustrous material whose deep black, softened and patinated by time, evokes the night he contemplates from his home. A virtuoso in metalwork, he also draws on techniques used to make sword fittings and armor, particularly the use of alloys and urushi lacquer, a resin extracted from the tree of the same name and used to decorate the weapons of warriors and hunters.
Fumiki Taguchi
Fumiki Taguchi trained under Yasuki Hiramatsu, a pioneer of contemporary jewelry who lived from 1926 to 2012, and has conducted extensive research into silver. He has developed a personal interpretation of traditional Japanese metal engraving, carried out entirely by hand using a tagane chisel. By layering extremely thin, intricately cut sheets of silver, he creates compositions resembling overlapping lengths of delicate lace. He was also a finalist for the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize in 2025.
Manami Aoki
Manami Aoki, the youngest artist in the exhibition, is a highly promising talent. Through a long and sustained process, she establishes a subtle dialogue with wood, particularly hinoki, the Japanese cypress. For her first series, Hair of the Wood, she hammers each piece until its fibres emerge, evoking tousled hair upon waking. She then “combs” and styles the fibers to give each piece its final form.
Takashi Kojima
Japan played a pivotal role in the development of cultured pearls. Takashi Kojima works within this history while overturning its hierarchy: the shell, long regarded as a worthless casing, becomes precious in its own right. He highlights its rough outer surface, weathered and eroded, often covered in algae or other marine organisms.
“Japan – Stillness and Substance”, from 1 to 6 October 2026 at Sotheby’s Paris. Free entry.
Learn more about my exhibition “Japan, Stillness & Substance” (“Japon, Murmures et Matières”) at Sotheby’s Paris held at Sotheby’s Paris from October 1–6, 2026 (free entry), as part of Parcours Bijoux 2026, and explore Jewelry in Japan.
Talk at Sotheby’s Paris on October 1, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., with three of the artists in attendance: Aya Iwata, Mariko Sumioka, and Shinji Nakaba.
