Aside from the exhibit Modern Japanische Lack Kunst which has traveled to Berlin and Dresden in 1982, the 1996 exhibit Rainbows and Shimmering Bridges at the Japan Society in New York and the Denver Art Museum, and the Japanese Contemporary Urushi Art Exhibition held this year in the Netherlands, Western audiences have rarely had the opportunity to view or experience the modern development of a highly revered craft. As with many Japanese crafts, lacquer art combines this veneration for the past with an excitement for new and innovative forms, materials and functions. In its liquid state, this sap is highly toxic and difficult for the artists to work with. Applied in many thin coats, lacquer will only dry in a dark, highly humid environment. Each coat of lacquer can take up to three days to dry and harden before the next coat can be applied.
Some lacquer ware can have hundreds of layers.
Once cured, lacquer is a very strong and durable material, only damaged by direct sunlight. Lacquer can be carved to expose underlying layers, or inlaid with materials such as hard metals or abalone shell. While a layer of lacquer is still wet, gold powder or gold flakes are often sprinkled over the surface adhering to the lacquer as it dries. Lulay says that Kagedo has been specializing in a broad range of fine Japanese art and antiques for nearly 20 years, and we have traditionally participated in art expositions which focus primarily on Asian art. Hattori Shunshou, Suzuki Masaya, Okada Yuji and Kurotobi Wataru.