Another month, another exhibition! We invited Japanese maker Takayoshi Narita of Studio Tint to join us for the first international solo exhibition of his cookware. Using a combination of iron and stainless steel, Narita crafts cookware items that are beautiful functional objects that have been greatly considered in both use and feel. His items balance themselves, perfectly weighted by each handle. They are a true indication of his skill, dedication and respect towards his practice.

He works with a technique known as wrought-iron. Each piece begins as a flat plate of either iron or stainless steel. They are then heated and softened in a coal oven, removed and hammered into form. This process is repeated until the final results are achieved. Narita has been working in this medium for the past 19 years and his products are sought worldwide.

He arrived in Toronto with stacks of stainless steel plates, bowls and spoons, all with their own unique surface texture. The stainless steel changes over time, staining and polishing with use.

The wrought-iron works included fry pans, woks, plates, spoons and the most charming wall hung vases. These pieces act similarly to cast iron cookware, they have a natural non-stick surface but heat much faster due to the thickness of the hammered surface.

To view more of the works please head to the Mjölk website!

We were lucky to host Takayoshi Narita and his collaborator Seiko Tanaka for several days. In that time we arranged a lunch workshop, a meal prepared by Seiko using hand made tools by Narita, something that we will be sharing with you shortly!