Art / award
Bristol artist shortlisted for prestigious international award
Artist and activist Rhyannan Hall has been shortlisted for a distinguished Japanese art award for her textile artwork Eraser.
Hall, who lives in Bristol, would be the first Briton to win the award if she is selected for the top prize of ¥2,000,000 (£14,844).
Since its launch in 2017, the International KOGEI Award has celebrated the preservation and reinvention of artisan crafts, known as “kogei”.
The award celebrates craftspeople under 50 who are devoted to reviving traditional arts such as metalwork, weaving and glass sculpting.
Hall’s piece, Eraser, is produced using a modern adaptation of the Japanese technique “arashi shibori”, where fabric is tightly bound around a pole before being dyed.
Eraser. Image: Rhyannan Hall
The piece, which was was inspired by Junichiro Tanizaki’s 20th century essay In Praise of Shadows. took more than four months to complete
“There is a philosophy of aesthetics in Japan called ‘wabi-sabi’, which In Praise of Shadows exemplifies very well,” says Hall. “He talks with passion about the exquisite quality of traditional Japanese taste.
“I fell in love with Tanizaki’s poetic imagery, captivated by this idea of beauty emerging from darkness, a beauty which makes itself quietly and gradually known to those who know how to look for it.”
The founder of her own company, Oxidate Design, and an active member of Extinction Rebellion, Hall explores the conflict of the natural and urban spheres through Japanese-inspired textiles by contrasting organic dyes with synthetic hues.
30-year-old Rhyannan Hall – Photo by Sarah Koury
Eraser will be exhibited at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design in September 2020 and appraised by an international panel.
Main photo: Oxidate Design
Read more: Birdspeed completes remarkable hat-trick of poetry prizes
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