Koichi Io

For this young Japanese artist-blacksmith, the sometimes sudorific work of hammering metal on the anvil is a matter of course. Since he finished studying in Japan and South Korea, he has been crafting silver and copper vessels in his father’s workshop. All his creations are characterized by organic forms that only take shape in the manual crafting process. Koichi Io is a third-generation member of a family of gold- and silversmiths. Accordingly, he is well aware of the traditions involved in his craft. He likes “the idea that handcrafted objects allow the customers to enter into a personal interaction with the maker’s ideas reified in these pieces.” One of his vessels has been bought by the Victoria & Albert Museum London. Prices range from 1.500 up to 9.000 euros.