An article by the gallerist of Tonoto in Kyoto, Japan
The narrator’s thoughts on Mr. Chen Jie and Wu Mu Suo, their uniqueness and inventiveness, from his first meet with them to the launch of an exhibition.
Before introducing the works by Mr. Chen Jie and Mu Wu Suo, I’d like to talk about how we met.
Through a Chinese guest I knew Mr. Chen for the first time. In 2018 and 2019, I was persistently searching for artisans in Chinese craftsmanship in order to distinguish Tonoto from other galleries. Mr. Chen Wei was one of them and we had built connections by then. I was strongly interested in a brand new sprout that could be regarded as a new generation of Chinese craftsmanship.
Please understand that the following content is based on personal experience.
I hear that the produce and trade of craft items in China was once carried out in a closed ecosystem rather than by individual artisans. The booming Internet provides artisans with a wide information hub and makes the latest news and knowledge about Japanese potteries and antiques accessible. From 2000 to the present, a growing passion for "artifacts", "everyday ceramics", and "antique utensils" is naturally imported to Japan and spreads widely across the country, no matter through personal expression or large-scale activities such as “crafts fair".
In the meantime, the craftsmanship orienting in practicability is finding its place in China and differs itself from contemporary artists’ works of natural materials or schools of traditional craftsmen.
Local artisans take great advantages of various resources that a place of origin may offer (for example, tea ceremony equipments may remind people of the clay from Yixing and techniques from Jingdezhen). They tend to follow traditions, in both craftsmanship and life style (quite different from the factories located in the pottery-producing regions). In my understanding they are facing varies changes with the put into use of large-scale machinery and other fundamental structures and meanwhile, they obtain uniqueness.
Yet it’s just the very beginning.
In 2018, I discovered few artisans with this uniqueness in my visits to the pottery markets and Jingdezhen.
It was under this circumstance that I got acquaintance with Mr. Chen Jie and Wu Mu Suo.
Mu Wu Suo was founded by Mr. Chen in Shaoxing, in early 2017. It designs and sells large scaled furniture, table appliance and hand utensils.
With its gallery and factory of such a large size that is unimaginable in Japan, Wu Mu Suo runs a wide range of products, from small wooden objects to large furniture. In the gallery space one may discover everyday appliance from China’s ethnic minorities, from Japan, Korea, India and Africa, together with ancient objects such as earth ware and old fabric. The antiques and new products inspired by them, as well as items relating to Chinese tea, are on showcase here as a unity.
Through close observation the woodworkers learn about materials and make products with respect to wood characteristics. In this point the artisans share the same methodology with their Japanese peers, but only few individuals practice this rule perfectly.
Furthermore, rarer companies and organizations are specialized in “medium-sized production on the foundation of both high quality and aesthetic value", for an obvious reason that if economic benefit leads as a first priority, mass produce shall be carried out even with unsatisfying quality; if aesthetics and quality leads, no one would then take the risk of hiring more labor to conduct mass production.
Each item that will be introduced in the following is a fully represent of the ability of a factory that obtains both various equipments and favorable working environment.
Let us get to know about Wu Mu Suo’s representative works and compare them with the Japanese craftsmanship and artisans.
Teaspoon and Pallet
A teaspoon (Chaze, literally “a tool to measure tea”) is a hand utensil to pour tea leaves into a teapot and is commonly used in Chinese tea ceremonies. It seems the popularity of Chinese tea in Japan is making this item familiar to more people. Mr. Chen didn’t symbolize it, but reexamined it from the perspective of usage and in his work one may experience the craftsman’s thoughts about “cutting” and “remaining”.
Small pallets exist for the favor of tiny instruments in Chinese tea ceremonies, and they are even smaller than the Japanese items of the same kind. Japan is often regarded as a country with numerous pallet types. In my point of view, though familiar with plenty of wooden pallets, we as Japanese would gain something new in our exploration of these wooden pallets that we’ve never seen before.
Plate with Pedestal
A plate with pedestal is something between a piece of furniture and a utensil. It is more like a small table that is particularly short rather than a plate. This item fits perfectly on a carpet or tatami and serves as a medium to bring the food culture of Asian lifestyle into modern living space. It’s shaped with the ambition to bring new forms for modern works.
Little Cabinet
In the shape of an armchair, the little cabinet could be used in a store as a fixture or cash register. The wooden object seems to be conveying a message that "we make what we desire". In the realization of such a difficult target lies exactly the great charm of Wu Mu Suo.
Little Glass Cabinet
An iconic work presented by Mu Wu Suo.
The little cabinet consists of various features that only China can provide.
It’s relatively easy to make a single piece but difficult to conduct mass produce of complicated tiny items without high demand in expectation.
This item is a masterpiece presented by Mu Wu Suo, with advantaged design and production capacity under the background of China.
Raw materials more frequently selected by Wu Mu Suo include ancient Chinese wood, Burmese teak and tec., depending on the usage purposes. By comparing what they have in common with the works by modern Japanese artisans, one may find the former have undergone a glossier surface treatment, leaving textures and patterns as vivid as in a painting.
Wu Mu Suo also presents works of precious woods. The commonly used teak in Nordic furniture has discovers its popularity in Japan, but Wu Mu Suo promotes the potential of this material in an interesting way that is completely different from others.
Mr. Chen’s philosophy
Mr. Chen is a frequent traveler who knows well about the mountainous areas of China. He investigates and studies the characteristics and distribution of trees. He cares not only about artifacts, but also the ecological system, and adjusts his work plan to the sustainable growth of the forests.
China is developing rapidly. A few years ago, the country entered the era of mass production and consumption. With personal experience of this new era, Mr. Chen constantly thinks about nature while passionately conducting his creation.
He talks about his exploration in forests, yet he is like a forest to me, for they are both wide and energetic, with an inner peace of the old and the new. It’s something related to the artisan himself, his works, as well as the creative process.
From the perspective of a researcher, Mr. Chen concerns about his works as well as the relationship between human and nature, which inspire this article entitled A Forest in Silence. At such a young age, Mr. Chen has surprisingly stroke a new path which expands like a forest. I believe that he won’t be ignored in the future.
Mr. Chen once gave me a precious specimen of tree rings as a gift.
I was touched by the softness and grace of the wood at that moment, but a deeper empathy develops with the understanding of its mysteriousness, long-lasting beauty and nobility as a gift of time. Represented in the tree rings is his aesthetic consciousness.
In the end, I want to talk about plagiarism.
Plagiarism of creative works is becoming a thorny issue in China. In a society of such fierce competition, it’s a shortcut that appeals to many people, troubling artisans with complicated legal response procedures. One can easily imagine the difficulties they face.
The above content is based on what I’ve observed and been involved in when I visited the factory of Wu Mu Suo and talked with the artisans. It is a pity that plagiarism is obviously an obstacle to their innovation. I sincerely look forward to find the deep influence of such a comprehensive and lofty perspective in more architecture, space, and artifacts, with a hope that originality can meanwhile gain the respect it deserves, and is properly evaluated.
I wish this influence on the younger generation of Chinese artisans will be continuous and long lasting, as I am looking forward to an urban society that grows like a forest and an ideal place built by us all.
Tonoto