Flore Falcinelli

Early in her career, Flore Falcinelli developed a taste for lacquerwork, and would specialise in this technique on graduating from École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art in 2011. Her work focuses on flowers and animals, inspired by the relationship between her preferred material and the natural, organic world. In 2018 she took part in Savoir-faire des Takumi, a project based in Kyoto and Paris that re-energised her desire to better understand the overlap between European and Japanese lacquers.

A specialist in vernis Martin (Japanning), whose original purpose was to imitate Asian lacquerwork in Europe, Falcinelli wanted to meet contemporary artists who were exponents of the urushi technique, a practice specific to Japanese artisans. Her aim was to fully understand their approach and, in return, introduce them to European lacquerwork and its techniques, which are largely unknown in Japan.

Flore Falcinelli worked with dakkatsu kanshitsu (hollow dry lacquer): a technique that transforms a material into a light but nevertheless sturdy object. The idea of being able to shape her material appealed to Falcinelli, who recentred her work on this technique, using it to create forms and imbue her creations with a sense of space. It also gave her an opportunity to meet lacquer artists and document their technique, which is rooted in the history and religion of Japan.

Photo portrait : Villa Kujoyama