Aona Hayashi & Justin Hoffman - A Silent Correspondence

A collaborative exploration of the shared gesture of intuitive mark-making. A creative process by which they both exercise the deliberate act of detachment from their individual selves. They converge their focus on a simple motif or form, repeating it to contribute to the creation of a dynamic landscape.

This project harmoniously brings together the works of two artists with a shared creative vision and aesthetic cohesion that belies the boundaries and cultural environments in which they live.

Justin, in preparation, acquired 'Kuromono,' a recent compendium of Aona's works, drawing inspiration from its pages. A gesture that implies a shared admiration. A quiet exchange between artists - a form of communication beyond words, emphasising the power of artistic expression and mutual understanding.

A silent correspondence has an unlikely romanticism imbued within, an unexpected unification of two creative worlds from two corners of the globe, bought together in another - a showcase of the culmination of their efforts in this exceptional exhibition. 

Aona Hayashi

Born in Ishikawa prefecture in 1989 and currently residing in Tokyo, Hayashi attended Kuni Studio in sculpture and painting from early childhood. Upon graduation from Kuwasawa Design School in 2010, she began working as an illustrator of books and advertisements, focusing on still life's in sumi ink. She won first prize in the 2014 HB Gallery Artist File Competition, Vol. 24, receiving the Suzuki Seichi Award.

Since 2010, Hayashi has been exhibiting abstract brush and ink paintings in Japan and abroad. Her abstracts originate from simple lines and circles, drawn in a state of near-quiescent consciousness. She regards them as an exploration into the essence of being, detached from the self.

Justin Hoffman

Hoffman, born in 1974, is an American ceramic artist and painter operating from the San Francisco Bay Area. His dynamic works traverse the realms of sculpture, vessels, and three-dimensional objects, drawing significant inspiration from Japanese ceramic artists.

Each form is created almost in the moment and in most cases, is one of a kind. Hoffman approaches each piece as he would a blank canvas, ensuring layers of depth and texture. He has studied wood-firing in Japan under two master potters and has participated in a Noborigama firing in Seto, Japan. Justin currently works out of his private studio in Lafayette, CA.