Collection: Junko Mori
Mae Junko Mori (g. 1974, Yokohama, Japan) yn gerflunydd a gweithiwr metel sy’n byw ar Benrhyn Llŷn yng Ngogledd Cymru. Mae ei gwaith yn archwilio effaith weledol a strwythurol ffurfiau a adeiladwyd o lawer o gydrannau bach, gan dynnu ysbrydoliaeth o batrymau twf a thrawsnewid a welir yn y byd naturiol.
Astudiodd Mori Ddylunio Diwydiannol, Mewnol a Chrefft ym Mhrifysgol Gelf Musashino yn Tokyo, gan arbenigo mewn gwaith metel a graddio gyda BA yn 1997. Yn ddiweddarach symudodd i Lundain i astudio Gwaith Arian a Metel yng Ngholeg Celfyddydau Camberwell, gan gwblhau ail BA yn 2000. Mae ei hamlygiad cynnar i draddodiadau diwylliannol Japan a’i diddordeb mewn strwythurau naturiol microsgopig yn parhau i lywio ei harfer.
Gan weithio’n bennaf gyda dur ac arian, mae Mori yn adeiladu cerfluniau o gannoedd neu filoedd o elfennau unigol wedi’u ffugio. Mae pob uned yn cael ei tharo â llaw a’i weldio, gan ganiatáu i ffurfiau esblygu’n reddfol yn hytrach nag o ddyluniadau rhagbenderfynedig. Mae’n cymharu’r broses hon â rhaniad celloedd, lle mae ailadrodd ac amrywiad cynnil yn cronni i greu strwythurau cymhleth, gan ymgorffori’r hyn y mae’n ei alw’n “harddwch anreolus” wrth galon ei gwaith.
Cafodd Mori ei rhestru ar y rhestr fer ar gyfer Gwobr Celfyddydau Cymhwysol Jerwood (2005) ac roedd yn derfynolwr ar gyfer Gwobr Grefft Sefydliad LOEWE (2019). Mae ei gwaith wedi’i arddangos yn eang, gan gynnwys arddangosfa unigol yn Amgueddfa Holburne, Caerfaddon (2013), a chomisiwn ar gyfer The Silver Trust yn 10 Stryd Downing. Cedwir ei cherfluniau mewn casgliadau ledled y byd, gan gynnwys yr Amgueddfa Brydeinig, Amgueddfa Victoria ac Albert, Oriel Gelf Manceinion, ac Amgueddfa Gelf Honolulu.
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Junko Mori (b. 1974, Yokohama, Japan) is a sculptor and metalworker based on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. Her work explores the visual and structural impact of forms built from many small components, drawing inspiration from patterns of growth and transformation observed in the natural world.
Mori studied Industrial, Interior and Craft Design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, specialising in metalwork and graduating with a BA in 1997. She later moved to London to study Silversmithing and Metalwork at Camberwell College of Arts, completing a second BA in 2000. Early exposure to Japanese cultural traditions and a fascination with microscopic natural structures continue to inform her practice.
Working primarily with steel and silver, Mori constructs sculptures from hundreds or thousands of individually forged elements. Each unit is hand-hammered and welded, allowing forms to evolve intuitively rather than from predetermined designs. She likens this process to cell division, where repetition and subtle variation accumulate into complex structures, embodying what she calls the “uncontrollable beauty” at the core of her work.
Mori was shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize (2005) and a finalist for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize (2019). Her work has been widely exhibited, including a solo show at the Holburne Museum, Bath (2013), and commissioned for The Silver Trust at 10 Downing Street. Her sculptures are held in collections worldwide, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
