Exhibition 2024

Jewelry has been found to exist for over 140,000 years, but why did people of that time choose to wear it? There are various theories, but in this exhibition, we focus on the use of jewelry as a means of social expression.
From ancient times, jewelry has served not only as an aesthetic expression and amulet, but also as a symbol of ethnicity and a tool of intimidation. For example, people wore marks to indicate their community affiliation, or parts of large prey from a hunt, visually asserting their dominance as strong individuals. In this way, jewelry functioned as a primitive form of expression in interpersonal relationships.
This role of jewelry continues to resonate today as a method of expression. Precious metals with weight and large, rare gemstones are used as symbols of wealth and power, with their scale intentionally emphasized. In this new collection, we will present pieces that extract and reconstruct the common threads between ancient and modern jewelry.
Additionally, new earrings from the existing “Rod” collection will be unveiled. The simple form, consisting only of rods and chains, embodies modern design principles, created with only the essential elements to showcase a refined beauty.
In this exhibition, in addition to the new pieces, existing collections will also be displayed and available for sale. Furthermore, we will showcase redesigned jewelry cases. At the request of Iwakura AA, I have also designed display cases and mirrors under the name, Hiroki Ataka.
During the exhibition, we will offer limited pre-orders for the Galette des Rois from the bakery NiOR in Ishikawa, which is responsible for designing and creating the fèves every year. The fève, also designed by Hiroki Ataka, is a part of this collaboration.
We look forward to your visit.

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Exhibition 2024
Date: 14–24 December 2024
Hours: 13:00–18:00
Venue: Iwakura AA
Address: 642-19 Iwakura Hanazono-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Closed: 18 December
No reservations required
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Hosted by Iwakura AA
Graphic design: Yuichi Nishimura/Rimishuna