The remarkable career of Japanese silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki is celebrated in the first major solo-retrospective exhibition of his stunning silver vessels at Goldsmiths¡Ç Hall which opens on February 8, 2010

Born in Sendai in 1961, Suzuki studied metalwork at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. Then, attracted by the high level of metalwork courses on offer in the UK, he moved to London in 1994 to continue with his studies first at Camberwell College of Art and subsequently at the Royal College of Art.

Another striking feature of Suzuki¡Çs vessels is their fluidity. This is reflected in the title of the exhibition ¡ÈHiroshi Suzuki - Silver Waves¡É which makes direct reference to the many waves, rivulets and ripples in the silver that are so synonymous with his work. His work seems to have a motion of its own, frozen but alive.

Suzuki¡Çs unusual working method sets him apart from other silversmiths. He never consciously plans a piece by making a model or doing preparatory drawings as he feels this process to be inhibiting and restrictive. ¡ÈI have developed an intuitive relationship - it is the core of my creative process and allows me to approach my work in a highly spontaneous way while at the same time maintaining sensitivity with the material.¡É

The Goldsmiths' Company