About the "Metamorphoses of the City"

21st Century Museum of Comtemporary Art, Kanazawa presents the exhibition of "Metamorphoses of the City" by KUNO Ayako. KUNO Ayako (b. 1983, Tokyo) employs lost-wax casting in her work. Lost-wax is a technique in which intricate forms made from wax are turned into casts, and Kuno uses it to produce pieces that combine the hard, solid texture of metal, with a dedication to detailed design. This exhibition presents works produced out of an earnest attitude to engage with metal and forge a dialogue with the method of metal casting: KUNO’s display of high-density formative aesthetics applied to robust metal creating works on an urban theme, that conjure up visions of a writhing, proliferating metropolis, morphing as it is constructed.

KUNO Ayako

Born 1983 in Tokyo, where she is currently based, KUNO received her BFA in metalworking in 2008 from the Department of Industrial, Interior and Craft Design at Musashino Art University, and her MFA in crafts (metal casting) in 2010 from Tokyo University of Arts.

Recent exhibitions include SICF15 (Spiral Hall, Tokyo; 2014), “erosion” (3331 Gallery, Tokyo, 2015), the 9th Sano Renaissance Metalcasting Competition (Sano Culture Center, Tochigi, 2017), 3rd Triennale of KOGEI in Kanazawa (People’s Gallery A, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2017) and Special Exhibition “Metal Work” (Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum, Kanazawa, 2018). Selected for the Kanazawa International Kogei Competition (2017), other awards include the Sano Renaissance Metalcasting Competition Encouragement Prize (2017), Shibuya Awards Grand Prize (2016) and SICF15 Audience Prize (2014).