Yukito Nishinaka (西中千人), Japanese, b. 1964

A Glass Vase “Enishi” (硝子花瓶「えにし」)

Heisei Era (1989–2019)

About the work

A striking glass vase by Yukito Nishinaka, bearing the name “Enishi”, a word associated with connection or affinity. Its rounded upper body narrows towards a small, spreading foot, while the short opening is framed by a dark, smoothly modelled shoulder.

The body combines translucent glass with a smoky purple-brown ground, allowing light to reveal changing layers within the vessel. Fine white and pale green lines circle the exterior, crossing vertical channels to create an intricate network. These threads shift in spacing and direction, giving the decoration movement without disrupting the clarity of the silhouette.

The contrast between the dark upper section and luminous lower body is especially effective. Reflections move across the ridged surface, bringing different sections of the linear pattern forward as the vase is viewed from another angle. Its decorative character depends as much on light and transparency as on colour.

The restrained opening would complement a small floral arrangement, while the substantial body provides sufficient interest for display on its own. Accompanied by its original wooden box, inscribed with the title and artist’s name.

Dimensions

19.3cm(h) x 14.5cm(w)

Footnote

Yukito Nishinaka was born in Wakayama in 1964. After graduating from Hoshi University, he studied sculpture and glass at California College of the Arts, then worked at the Toyama Institute of Glass Art before establishing his own studio in 1998. His practice draws on Japanese aesthetics, particularly the acceptance of imperfection and the relationship between destruction and renewal. In his Yobitsugi works, broken glass is reassembled into new forms, extending ideas associated with ceramic repair into the medium of glass. His work is held by institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and the MAK in Vienna.