“Nature of Change” is the most recent work of Mexican ceramic artist Sofia Solamente in collaboration with photographer Yulia Skogoreva. The exhibition is October 15, 2020 – January 15, 2021, at THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku 2F GALLERY.

For this exhibition, Sofia and Yulia, both Tokyo-based but with different cultural backgrounds, explore the depths of change and the nature of movement through the unique ceramic pieces and a photographic study, to reflect fragility, beauty, and strength.

The project centers around a philosophical and poetic form of transformation that has been in focus during the challenging times we recently faced as society and individuals. Physical and emotional isolation, the need for meaningful connections, and the feeling of hopelessness are reconstructed as ceramic forms and shapes accompanied by a visual photographic study.

The artists have explored various ways of connecting through movement. Movement of the body, that of the spinning of the ceramic wheel and the ancient craft of the pottery master, and movement of the camera capturing new symbolic meanings.

The elegant nature of the shapes of the objects combined with the flow of a dancer captured on film, creates an ephemeral marriage of movements raising awareness of the body in a poetic manner.

About each sub-section of the exhibition:

INTERTWINED

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Intertwined explores the necessity for us to evolve and make a stronger connection to the fragility, beauty, and strength of life. The pieces are designed to fit precisely together into a totem: they were thrown individually in the making process, with the thought to connect them together in the firing process. With this perfectly aligned center and balance, they can merge and stand strong as one individual piece. Each was handmade by Sofia on her potter’s wheel in her Tokyo studio using clay from Shigaraki and Mie. These pieces are unglazed, as she wanted to display the organic beauty of colors and textures of the earth.

With the delicate way of her work and the shapes, she carefully handles all the needed elements, bringing pieces on a considered journey from start to end, from clay to ceramic piece.

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The clay changes in every state, from the hands to the spin on the wheel. The transformation of the firing process provides it an opportunity to live longer and evolve into pieces that remain strong in the future.

NATURAL MOVEMENT

The artists invited contemporary dancer and choreographer, Ruri Mitoh, to participate in the collaboration.

The location by the Pacific Ocean was chosen to represent the essential elements that are being used in the creation of ceramic pieces.

Ruri’s dance was inspired by the motion of the clay in the wheel. As flexible as the clay, her body’s movements are juxtaposed with the constantly flowing ocean and the unending line of the horizon.

Does the ocean change? Or stay the same? Changes are constantly occurring around us.
What does change mean to you?

Sofia and Yulia make this tribute to change, to the eternal movement of life. They both dedicate everyday life to their art, to explore the depth of their own being and to be able to share with others different perspectives and connect strongly with their realities. After all, that is the spiritual journey through the art. To seek that connection, from one presence to another.

We welcome you to see the result of this collaborative work, as a gateway for your own imagination and personal delight.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Yulia Skogoreva
Russian-born fine art and documentary photographer Yulia Skogoreva has been based in Tokyo for the past 10 years. Having majored in Japanese Studies at Moscow State University Yulia worked as an interpreter for Japanese butoh dancers. The backstage life of theatre inspired her to start photographing dancers. With her camera, Yulia has been discovering the unique features and unwrapping challenges of contemporary Japanese society through the prism of dance. Yulia is a recipient of multiple international and Japanese photography awards. Her works have been featured in various exhibitions and photography festivals around the world.

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Sofia Solamente
Sofia Solamente is a Mexican-born artist currently living in Tokyo, Japan. Sofia received guidance and instruction as a ceramicist in New York City. This initial approach, both professional and multicultural, had a great impact on her work. Simplicity is an essential part of every finished piece. In many ways a mix of her understanding of reality, personal process and ways of thinking. Sofia‘s art is always very aesthetic and full of symbolic content inspired by the culture she is around. She does deep research in clay and materials from the surrounding land to create organic works that can talk about the space she is in. Sofia had several solo exhibitions and collaborations with other artists, mostly in Mexico, she is always seeking inspiration to connect and explore different mediums.

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