Furuki-Yo Kimono 【3rd – 12th August 2017】 Sway Gallery London is delighted to present Sonoe Sugawara, a London-based vintage kimono dealer and owner of Furuki Yo-Kimono Vintage, which showcases the world of vintage & antique kimono. The name is a play on the Japanese expression, Furuki Yo-Kimono Vintage (ふるきよきもの) which means ‘good old things’. Sonoe has been collecting vintage kimono for years and has become a source for Western kimono lovers including designers of some of the world’s leading fashion brands. The main collection of her kimonos are from 1920-30s pre-war period known in Japan as the Taisho period and Japanese Art Deco period when Western modernism mingled with Japanese … Read More

Special event 【10th – 22nd July 2017】 Japan has a long history of Buddhism and religious mythology: having derived many from other Asian cultures. One popular belief is that there is a God in everything, and this even includes sake – a sacred drink of the Gods. Until the 20th century, Kyushu was seen as Japan’s gateway to the world and a centre for trade. It has historically been the first stop for foreign traders and travellers to Japan and the place from where outside influences would spread to the rest of the country.Time has moved on, but the landscapes, legends and tradition of sake making remain to this day. … Read More

David Davies [6th – 28th July 2017] Glorious Imperfection – the kintsugi drawings Private view: Thursday 6th July, 18:00 – 20:00 – Book your ticket here In the West, when a piece of ceramic gets broken, our inclination is to repair as invisibly as possible. The Japanese feel differently, and approach the task in an almost opposite way. They employ a technique known as `kintsugi’. Rather than try to hide the marks and cracks of breakage, they illuminate them with gold, silver, copper, or sometimes bright pigments that contrast vividly with the base colour of the ceramic. Their thinking comes from `wabi sabi’, a Japanese derivation of the Chinese Buddhist … Read More