Biography
Shinta Nakajima (b. Tokyo, Japan 1989) completed a BA Metal Craft degree at Musashino Art University, Tokyo (2009-13) and became a research associate there in 2015. He worked as a technician during 5 years under Professor Hiroshi Suzuki, the Japanese-British silversmith, for five years. He then took a MFA Design degree at Sheffield Hallam University. Nakajima is now an award-winning silversmith, living and working in Sheffield, UK. His works are created using hammering and chasing techniques. For him, hammering is a very simple and somewhat meditative repetition. To create undulation, convex and concave, Nakajima can hammer 3 times per second, 15,000 per hour and spends approximately 100 hours on each piece. It is important to him that during this process a conversation with the material is generated: every tiny hammer mark a grain of energy, contributing to a greater, flowing force. He seeks to integrate the stability of metal with the transient beauty of plants, and focuses on seeds and fruits in their symbolism as vessels of life. He has exhibited at Masterpiece London (2019). Nkajima is now a Silver Fellow at Silver Space, Persistence Works, Yorkshire Artspace. In 2024 he won recognition for his practice at the Goldsmiths Craft and Design Council Awards, and his work is currently represented by Gallery Fumi, London.
