About Us
Who We Are
Poiesis is a movement dedicated to reinviting beauty through the world’s most profound aesthetic traditions. We work to preserve and revitalize the traditional handcrafted decorative arts, honoring the dialogue between hand, material, and form.
Our Story
Poiesis began as a reflection on the fragile state of the world’s cultural heritage, the aesthetic traditions that once shaped entire civilizations. Standing before the world’s great heritage sites, we often feel a distance between the beauty we witness and the hands that once created it. Our discovery of Inami woodcarving in Japan’s Toyama Prefecture transformed that reflection into a mission: to preserve, celebrate, and reinvigorate the remnants of the world’s traditional decorative arts.
Our Practices
Poiesis works to fulfil its mission in various ways:
Historical Documentation
Through photography, film,writing, and cataloging historical artifacts,we record and archive endangered crafts, preserving their knowledge and technique for future generations, and creating the foundation for a future scholarly ecosystem.
Event Planning
We collaborate with cultural institutions to organize exhibitions, lectures, and live demonstrations that educate audiences about these cultural heritages.
Commissions & Collaborations
We bridge master craftsmen with global patrons seeking commissions, whether that be in interior design, architectural integration and more.
Community Development
Each project sustains livelihoods, nurtures apprenticeships, and keeps these crafts alive as living, evolving art.
Our Vision
Our work begins in Inami, but it reaches far beyond. Poiesis is building a living archive of the world’s endangered decorative arts, ensuring these traditions are not only preserved but brought into contemporary life. Our initiatives will continue to grow with time, guided by the needs of the crafts, the communities that sustain them, and the spaces that welcome them. Our vision is simple: to restore what was once inseparable, craft, culture, and the human experience of beauty, and to help guide a return to spaces imbued with meaning.