Ryuhei Sako

Born 1976 in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

Graduated 1999 from Hiroshima City University, Department of Design and Applied Arts, Faculty of Arts.

Studied at Graduate School of Arts, 2002, Doctoral Degree Programme, Hiroshima City University.

Ryuhei Sako creates pieces using Mokume-gane, a Japanese metal technique dating back to the 17th Century. First very thin different coloured alloyed metal sheets are layered and bonded. Then the layers are cut into or drilled and reworked. To achieve a successful lamination takes a very skilled artist and although his work is based on research and experimentation using this tradition process he manages to create very contemporary pieces, In 2004 he became a Member of the Nihon Kogeikai (Japanese Handcrafts Association) and in 2013, on his first exhibition outside Japan, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, purchased one of his pieces for their public collection. In 2018 he was one of the finalists for the prestigious LOEWE Craft prize which was displayed at the Design Museum London.

His work is held in major collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford, UK, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.