A solo exhibition by French ceramic artist Elise Gettliffe (エリス・ゲトリフ) is coming to R.ALAGAN store & gallery in Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo. The store and gallery is run by the jewelry brand R.ALAGAN, and the exhibition is curated by GALLERY ESCAPERS. It is open to the public for three days, from Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, 2026.
The exhibition is the first in about two years. It brings together new work that Elise made in 2025 during a roughly three-month residency at NOTA SHOP in Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture. In the space of a jewelry brand's store and gallery, where different cultures and forms of expression meet, visitors can see Elise's new work.
Photo: Hiroko Matsubara
An Artist Who Makes Work by Encountering Places, as if Traveling
Elise Gettliffe continues to create work inspired by the landscapes, cultures, and people she meets as she travels from place to place. Her work is characterized by vessels and objects that carry the memory of a place, made by taking in materials and techniques she encounters on her journeys.
For her stay in Shigaraki, she worked with Shigaraki clay and plants while engaging with Japan's natural environment. Centered on her interest in the Japanese tea ceremony, she explored the relationships among space, architecture, nature, tools, and people.
New Work Made from Shigaraki Clay, Plants, and Fire
A group of works made with charcoal firing (炭火焼成, sumibi shosei), in which the pieces are fired hard over a charcoal fire, is another feature of this exhibition. The soft black and gray tones unique to charcoal and the fired surfaces, which include an element of chance, give the pieces deep shading.
The exhibition will also present collaborative works with the artists Mio Hatakenaka and Soshi Matsunobe.
A Dialogue with Ceramics in the R.ALAGAN Space
The venue, R.ALAGAN, is built around the concept 亜魂洋才. With Japanese aesthetics as its axis, it aims to take in different cultures and values and elevate them into new forms of expression. Elise's work likewise contains a range of cultures while producing its own forms and colors, so the exhibition shows where R.ALAGAN's space and Elise's expression intersect.
About the Artist
Elise Gettliffe (エリス・ゲトリフ), ceramic artist
Elise Gettliffe is a French ceramic artist and creative consultant.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2009, she has worked across art, fashion, design, and craft. Building on traditional techniques, she layers materials, gestures, and experimental approaches taken from different cultures and contexts, and explores new forms of ceramics through her own sensibility. Through ceramics, she expresses a deep connection with natural materials and the earth, and her simple yet refined style has won her many fans.
Instagram: @elise_gettliffe
Exhibition Information
- Dates: Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, 2026
- Hours:
- Friday, October 16: 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Saturday, October 17: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Sunday, October 18: 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Venue: R.ALAGAN Store & Gallery
- Address: SEIZAN Gaien 103, 2-5-4 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001 (Map)
