Kaga Iryokuen to Host Monthly Solo Exhibitions: Metal Artist Atsushi Ota's Cast Works from June 17, Glass Artist Shieri Hoki's Vessels and Objects from July 18

(Left) Atsushi Ota Exhibition 'Re Cast – Re Form' (Right) 'Shieri Hoki Glass Exhibition - Poem of Blue Snow' Kaga Iryokuen (Kaga Iryokuen), a cultural tourism facility operated by Rinashente Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 3-604 Yokaichi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Hisanori Tōkairin), located at 87-1 Minamimachi-guchi, Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, hosts monthly solo exhibitions by local artists. From Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the facility will present 'Re Cast – Re Form,' a solo exhibition by Atsushi Ota, a metal artist based in Kanazawa City. The exhibition will feature 15 to 20 three-dimensional works using coloring techniques on metals such as bronze. Visitors can experience artworks created by incorporating the spontaneity and material transformations that occur during the casting process (June 17 [Wed] – July 15 [Wed]). Following this, from Saturday, July 18, the facility will host 'Shieri Hoki Glass Exhibition - Poem of Blue Snow,' a solo exhibition by Shieri Hoki, a glass artist based in Kanazawa City. Approximately 50 pieces, including objects, vases, sake vessels, and tableware, will be exhibited (July 18 [Sat] – August 17 [Mon]). Ms. Hoki previously received acclaim for her solo exhibition at Kaga Iryokuen last year, making this her second exhibition at the venue. Please enjoy the expressive worlds born from two distinct materials—metal casting and glass—in the historic setting of Yamashiro Onsen. · Kaga Iryokuen Monthly Craft Exhibition ~ The Intersection of Ideal and Phenomenon in Cast Metal, and the World of Snow and Memory Engraved in Glass ~ ■ Exhibition Information (1) Atsushi Ota Exhibition 'Re Cast – Re Form' June 17, 2026 (Wed) – July 15, 2026 (Wed) We are pleased to present 'Re Cast – Re Form,' a solo exhibition by Atsushi Ota, a metal artist based in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The exhibition will feature 15 to 20 three-dimensional works using coloring techniques on metals such as bronze. We warmly invite you to visit this exhibition. To be announced via Instagram and other platforms. Atsushi Ota Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atsushi_ota0505/ ▶ Artist Statement In this exhibition, 'Re Cast / Re Form,' I explore the process by which my initial ideal image evolves and is updated through natural phenomena and accidental forms that arise during the creation process. The image I originally envisioned is elevated by unexpected flows and overlaps that emerge during production, transforming into a stronger form. The resulting works emerge not as a closed completion, but as entities containing the potential to continue expanding within the space. This exhibition presents the way forms are generated through the tension between the will to pursue an ideal and the phenomena that transcend it. I normally create while studying metal casting at university. Metal casting involves melting metal at high temperatures and pouring it into molds to form shapes. However, this process includes uncontrollable fluctuations and unpredictable phenomena arising from the interaction of materials and time. For me, creation is not about directly reproducing a preconceived image, but rather a movement in which the initial ideal itself changes as it is pushed back and elevated by these phenomena. In this process, the image that emerges during creation can appear stronger and more poignant than the one I initially imagined. Entering graduate school has also become an opportunity to re-examine this approach to creation. While accepting the techniques and sensibilities I have accumulated, I strongly feel the need to reorganize them and reconstruct my own approach to expression and creation. The exhibition title 'Re Cast / Re Form' conveys not only the act of casting but also the meaning of re-examining and updating the nature of form, the structure of creation, and my own expression. The forms emerging in this exhibition are not closed as a single completion but contain the possibility of continuing to expand as long as space exists. This reflects that ideals do not end once fixed, but are repeatedly updated through collisions with phenomena, continuously transforming into stronger forms. This exhibition is an attempt to present forms existing in the midst of endless generation. ▶ Artist Profile Atsushi Ota (Oota Atsushi) {Biography} 2002 Born in Aichi Prefecture 2026 Graduated from Kanazawa College of Art, Faculty of Art and Design 2026 Enrolled in the Master's Program at Kanazawa College of Art Graduate School Currently in the first year of the Master's Program at Kanazawa College of Art Graduate School {Awards and Selections} 2023 Selected, 79th Kanazawa City Craft Exhibition 2024 Selected, 80th Kanazawa City Craft Exhibition 2026 Recipient, Van Cleef & Arpels Design Scholarship Atsushi Ota Exhibition 'Re Cast – Re Form' Displayed Works (2) 'Shieri Hoki Glass Exhibition - Poem of Blue Snow' July 18, 2026 (Sat) – August 17, 2026 (Mon) From Saturday, July 18, 2026, we will host 'Shieri Hoki Glass Exhibition - Poem of Blue Snow,' a solo exhibition by Shieri Hoki, a glass artist based in Kanazawa City. Approximately 50 pieces, including objects, vases, sake vessels, and tableware, will be exhibited. Ms. Hoki previously held a solo exhibition titled 'Shieri Hoki Exhibition - Poem of Snow' at our venue in September 2025, which was well received. This exhibition marks her second solo exhibition at the venue. We warmly invite you to visit this exhibition. To be announced via Instagram and other platforms. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shieri_hoki/ ▶ Artist Statement I create works by painting on sheet glass with glaze, then firing and polishing. My theme is capturing and preserving decaying elements such as snow and fallen leaves within glass, creating three-dimensional forms based on the motif of vessels. I wonder if vessels are shaped by 'thoughts.' Through daily vessel creation, I feel this deeply. I create vessels that lovingly capture fleeting things, like puddles gathering on the ground. ▶ Artist Profile Shieri Hoki (Hoki Shieri) {Biography} 1985 Born in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture 2009 Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Craft and Industrial Design 2012 Graduated from Toyama Institute of Glass Art, Research Division 2015 Completed training at Kanazawa Uchida-yama Craft Studio, Glass Workshop 2017 Independent as 'Hoki Glass Studio' in Kanazawa City 2023 Specialist, Kanazawa Uchida-yama Craft Studio {Awards} 2011 Encouragement Award, 5th KOGANEZAKI 'Form of Vessels' Contemporary Glass Exhibition vessels 2013 New Selection, Japanese Contemporary Craft Art Exhibition 2015 Grand Prize, Contemporary Glass Exhibition in Sanyo-Onoda 2015 Garasurando Prize, 15' Japanese Glass Exhibition 2017 JR West Japan Prize, 3rd Art and Craft Kanazawa Auction 2018 Excellence Award, 7th Soba Choko Art Open Exhibition 2022 Honorable Mention, 'Hsinchu City Gold Glass Award' 2024 World Craft City Declaration Award, Kanazawa City Craft Exhibition 2025 Commendation, 81st Contemporary Art Exhibition