Stand E14
Collect at Somerset House
The Spirit of Things
27th February - 2nd March
Introducing our Stand’s theme for Collect 2025
The Spirit of Things
Flow’s stand for Collect 2025 focuses on the ‘Spirit of Things’. The theme expresses how hand-crafted objects are imbued with ‘spirit’ – they evidence the process of their maker and come alive through our sensorial encounter with materials.
The simple pleasure of experiencing this spirit, particularly in ‘everyday things’, is central to the ethos of Japanese craft. Our stand will explore how craft from Japan and beyond finds beauty in simplicity, to achieve balance and serenity through the objects around us.
The concept celebrates the philosophy of minimalism, placing emphasis on organic textures in clay, textiles, wood, washi paper and glass. The makers also share a close relationship with nature, making subtle reference to the organic origins of their materials.
The curation will present their distinct practices with a sense of harmony, achieved through a display that recreates the feeling of the home. Pieces will be displayed on bespoke furniture, capturing the experience of living with art. By layering the space with crafted works, we wish to emulate a collection made over time.
We will be discussing our theme in a Booth Talk at our stand, E14. Including a Q&A with artist duo James Trundle & Isobel Napier.
Come along for free on Saturday 1st March at 2pm.
Introducing the Makers
Chinoko Sakamoto
Chinoko Sakamoto is a Japanese ceramic sculptor based in Nagasaki. Her sculptures draw inspiration from a range of sources and objects across Eastern and Western cultures; architecture, ancient ceramic pots, plants, organic forms of fruit and vegetables found piled up in markets. She uses porcelain as the primary material to hand-build and sculpt unique and detailed forms. Each is individually finished with a delicate balance of slips and glazes.
Isobel Napier
Isobel Napier’s practice is influenced by the craftsmanship of textile traditions and blends precise digital design with elements of chance and incident. Her process contrasts the definitive control offered by digital modes of making, with natural materials and the heritage of crafts. Using laser cutting and 3D milling processes, Isobel combines modern technology with traditional techniques. This approach reimagines the language of textiles, as she celebrates the inherent qualities and transformative possibilities of her chosen mediums.
We are delighted to announce that Isobel is shortlisted for Collect Fair’s Brookfield Property Craft Prize.
Tamotsu Suzuki
“All my work is hand-built showing the traces of my fingers. I am in awe of plants with delicate & tough forms. I feel them at our fingertips, soaking in our thoughts in the soil. I reconstruct plants that quietly stand as if they had grown naturally on the spot.”
Tamotsu Suzuki is based in Yamanashi on the island of Honshu, southwest of Tokyo. Inspired by organic plant forms, Tamostu uses the earth, which is the foundation of these plants, as a material. Tamotsu works with local red clay finished with a Japanese “kohiki” style slip.
A Collection of Bespoke Furniture
by James Trundle & Isobel Napier
James Trundle & Isobel Napier are a London based partnership that combine the sensibilities of carpentry and textile artistry. They are process-led makers, blending traditional craftsmanship and digital techniques. At the heart of their craft is a profound respect for timber – they take time to build relationships with local timber yards and hand-select characterful boards that showcase the materials’ inherent beauty. They let the timber’s distinctive qualities guide their designs, allowing the character of each board to shape the final form.
This collection for Collect represents a new body of work where they use digital techniques to simulate the natural contours of the timber. Using 3D modelling and CNC routing technology, the sculptural works embody the inherent irregularity and flow of timber with live edges. This collection explores the interplay between the exacting nature of digital design and the organic, tactile qualities of natural materials.
James Trundle & Isobel Napier will join us for a Q&A about their furniture at our Booth Talk at our stand, E14. Come along for free on Saturday 1st March at 2pm.
Above Left: James Trundle & Isobel Napier featured in Collect 2025’s photoshoot.
Stylist Alex Kristal, Photographer Jake Curtis
Akiko Hirai
Akiko Hirai is a Japanese potter who lives in London. She has shown with Flow Gallery for over 15 years, and so we are delighted to be hosting this solo exhibition during our 25th anniversary celebrations. In that time, Akiko has become widely recognised as one of Britain’s most dynamic contemporary potters. Her carved, highly textural vessels are instantly recognisable: working typically with dark clay and light glazes, Akiko plays with contrast and surface. The result is work that seems to effortlessly combine energy and stillness. Akiko’s pieces are created with rhythmic speed. She avoids mechanical regularity in favour of organic vitality, giving each piece – be it functional or sculptural – a sense of life.
Fumiko Nagano
“I am always moved when I roll molten glass out of a crucible, it burns hot and shines like life itself.”
Fumiko Nagano, a well-known Japanese glass artist based at Terada Bijutsu, creates her works in her beautiful home and studio in Nagoya. Nagano wishes to express the characteristics and beauty of glass from all angles, she takes the cold and hard feeling glass material and gives it warmth and delicacy.
Flow Gallery is pleased to present Fumiko Nagano for the first time at Collect 2025
Kati Tuominen-Niittylä
The vessels of Finnish ceramic artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä’s combine multiple techniques, alternating between wheel-throwing, casting, and hand-building. Tuominen-Niittylä reimagines the container, infusing it with earthy tones and elegant simplicity. The objects appear almost as ancient artefacts or geological with an archaic timelessness. The simple forms don't follow strict geometric principles, instead, they have a natural flow and inherent organicity. “I like the quiet movement.” The linear simplicity of her forms is contrasted with an intensely textured surface. Their rough surfaces are meticulously carved, a meditative journey that speaks of Nordic landscapes and ancient forests.
Yoriko Murayama
Yoriko Murayama is a Japanese textile artist based in Kyoto, Japan. Her work interprets the familiar form of a house, both in three-dimensional sculptures and in wall hangings. Her nostalgic pieces are woven using Ikat techniques with natural indigo dyes, silk, ramie, horse hair and Japanese pagoda tree.
