Fluctuate
Japanese Pottery and Art Exhibition
by Rui Mito and Sayaka Takabatake
15 November – 27 December 2025
at Time & Style Amsterdam
Marnixstraat 148
At Time & Style Amsterdam, we are pleased to present an exhibition in collaboration with Karatsu-ware pottery artist Rui Mito, who works in Karatsu city, Saga, and with Kyoto-based artist Sayaka Takabatake. This exhibition will feature approximately 300 ceramic pieces and over 200 artworks by the two artists.
In Japan, there is a tradition known as shitsurai — the practice of arranging and decorating spaces in harmony with the season and occasion. In the tea ceremony, utensils, hanging scrolls, and flower vases are carefully selected to create a setting appropriate for both the season and the guests. Seasonal flowers express gratitude toward nature, and are chosen and arranged with consideration for harmony between the vessel and surroundings. Such carefully composed spaces reflect Japanese spirituality, coexistence with nature, and the quiet richness found within stillness.
It is characterized by a simple style that preserves the texture of the clay and traces of the maker’s hand. Mito personally collects clay, stones, and other materials from the mountains and undertakes every step from forming to firing, following a process unchanged for more than 400 years. Reflecting the serendipity of firing and the natural qualities of its materials, each piece embodies an aesthetic of “entrusting to nature” and a subtle yuragi — the gentle fluctuation found in imperfection — that grows richer with use.
Visual artist Sayaka Takabatake reinterprets traditional Japanese art objects and tools, such as gold leaf, ink, hanging scrolls, and folding screens, to create works that resonate with contemporary life and space. Her pieces, in which gold leaf reflects and shapes light, invite viewers to pause and contemplate their wishes, prayers, or everyday thoughts. Existing as an integral part of their ambience, her works encourage introspection through the use of ma (space), yohaku (emptiness), and the yuragi that emerges from their presence and materiality.
During the exhibition, we will also host Ikebana flower arrangement and tea events. We look forward to welcoming you.
About the Artists
Rui Mito
Rui Mito is a pottery artist based in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, known for her work with Karatsu ware. She collects clay from the surrounding mountains and shapes her pieces in close dialogue with nature. Each work is fired in a traditional wood-fired climbing kiln, where flame and ash create unique, unrepeatable expressions. Through this process, Mito embraces natural variation and quiet imperfection — qualities that reflect the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, finding beauty in transience and simplicity.
Bio:
1978 Born in Fukuoka Prefecture
2001 Joined a private company
2006 Studied Faculty of Art and Regional Design, Saga University, in Saga Prefecture
2006 Studied under Kiyomi Kawakami in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
2009 Established own kiln and became independent in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
2023 Award
Jury’s Special Prize and Contemporary Ceramic Art Encouragement Award of the Japan Ceramic Society
Sayaka Takabatake
Sayaka Takabatake is an artist whose work explores reflections, light, and the quiet presence of things. Using gold and silver leaf and other reflective materials, she creates surfaces that shift with changes in light, revealing delicate nuances in both brightness and shadow. Rather than depicting clear motifs, her works feature cracks, voids, and subtle textures that invite moments of stillness and contemplation. Through this dialogue between material, light, and perception, Takabatake’s practice embodies yuragi — the gentle fluctuation found in imperfection — and resonates with the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi — beauty found in impermanence and imperfection.
Bio:
1995 Born in Kagawa Prefecture
2018 Solo Exhibition | Ivory tower, Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Studio / Kagawa
2020 Completed Master’s Program in Painting, Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School
2021 Group Exhibition | Skipping the Interval, or Else, Ryosokuin / Kyoto
2023 Solo Exhibition | Never Ever Forget, Komyouin Temple / Kyoto
2023 ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2023 Marine Messe Fukuoka, Hall B / Fukuoka
2025 Part-time Lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts
Currently based in Kyoto Prefecture
15 November – Opening Event
Join us for the opening evening of Fluctuate — a special event celebrating the meeting of Japanese craftsmanship and contemporary expression. Guests are welcome to enjoy drinks, a live flower arrangement demonstration, and a talk session with the exhibiting artists. The store will be open as usual from 10:00, with the event officially beginning at 16:00 with welcome drinks for guests. At 16:30, a live flower arrangement demonstration will take place, followed at 17:00 by an artists talk with Rui Mito and Sayaka Takabatake, moderated by Dr. Daan Kok, Curator Japan & Korea at the Wereldmuseum, whose expertise in Japanese art and material culture brings valuable insight to the discussion.
16:00 – Cocktail
16:30 – Japanese Flower Arrangement Live Demonstration
17:00 – Artists Talk
Artists: Rui Mito, Sayaka Takabatake
Talk Host : Daan Kok
Opening Event Reservation
16 November – Ikebana, Japanese Flower Arrangement Experience
Join us for a hands-on workshop led by Atsuko Isobe, exploring the Nageire style of Ikebana (Japanese floral art). Rooted in an appreciation of seasonal rhythm and simplicity, this practice reveals beauty through balance and restraint. Emphasizing the natural flow and balance of trees and plants, flowers are arranged in tall vases without fixatives, creating an expansive, flowing elegance and sense of movement.
Times : 13:00 – / 15:00 – (choose one session)
Fee : €50 per person (flowers included)
Atsuko Isobe
Atsuko Isobe is a flower artist based in Nagoya, Japan, and a professor of the Yamamura–Goryu School of Ikebana, founded at the historic Enshöji Temple in Nara.
Cherishing the natural beauty of every flower, branch and leaf, she creates arrangements that blend the traditional techniques she has mastered with her own feeling and creativity.
Her works are unique and expressive, reflecting both the quiet grace of Japanese tradition and her personal sensibility.
With over 30 years of study at the Yamamura–Goryu School of Ikebana, Atsuko offers classes, private lessons, exhibitions, and floral arrangements for various spaces.
Ikebana Reservation and Payment
*Exceeded maximum capacity.
22 November – Tea Ceremony Experience
Experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony with Shinobu Yajima, a tea master based in the Netherlands. Rooted in Zen philosophy, the ceremony emphasizes harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, inviting guests to connect with the present moment and with one another. In the tea ceremony, this spirit is expressed through the principle of Wa-Kei-Sei-Jaku — harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. Among these, Shinobu focuses especially on Wa (harmony), believing that when harmony is present, all else follows naturally.
For this occasion, tea will be served in Karatsu-ware cups created by ceramic artist Rui Mito, allowing guests to experience the quiet beauty of traditional craftsmanship through both touch and taste.
Times : 13:00 – / 15:00 – (choose one session)
Reservation required
Fee : Free, but limited space available
Tea master : Shinobu Yajima
Tea Ceremony Reservation
*Exceeded maximum capacity.
Time & Style Amsterdam
Marnixstraat 148, 1016 TE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel：+31 (0)20 210 3176
Open: 10:00 – 18:00 (Mon – Sat)
Sunday closed