Glasgow-born artist and metalworker Kathleen Reilly has called Japan home since being awarded the prestigious Daiwa Scholarship in 2019.
From 2020 to 2022, Reilly lived and worked in the town of Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, though she initially succumbed to the charms of the community after attending the “Biology of Metal: Metal Craftsmanship in Tsubame-Sanjo” exhibition at Japan House London in 2018. Upon relocating to Niigata, Reilly learned about the small rural area’s renowned reputation with metalwork. She spent her time there acquiring knowledge from and working alongside their skilled artisans — training in a cutlery factory to hone her craft and gain generational and technical knowledge that would influence and inform her in the production of her future works.