• Wakaba transforms memories of nature and place into lacquerware
• She develops unique matte finishes with washi paper and mineral powder
• Her decorative techniques include mother-of-pearl and eggshell inlay

Wakaba Tanaka is a lacquer artist based in Kanazawa, a city deeply intertwined with Japan's craft traditions. After her graduate studies, she honed her style via postgraduate research at the Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo, a craft workshop known for training world-class craft artists. Wakaba creates functional lacquerware such as tea utensils, tableware and cutlery with detailed decorative motifs drawn from the natural landscapes of her childhood. She uses traditional techniques such as mother-of-pearl inlay and eggshell inlay, while layering washi paper and tonoko powder to achieve textured matte finishes, preserving the paper's natural wrinkles to achieve an organic, unrepeatable surface. “For me, every piece is a quiet exchange, carrying the memory of a season or landscape to whoever receives it,” she says.