Michael Anastassiades – From Warm Yellow to Saturated Red

Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto is pleased to present a solo exhibition of works by Michael Anastassiades, his third presentation at the gallery since 2019, showcasing his latest work with a particular focus on lighting design.

From Warm Yellow to Saturated Red

At the start, the sun is roughly 0.5° above the horizon. The atmosphere filters out the “cool” blue and violet light, leaving the warm yellow and gold tones. As it sinks further, the path of light through the air increases significantly. The atmosphere now scatters away the greens and yellows, leaving only the warmest part of the spectrum. By the time only the top sliver is visible, the light is passing through the maximum amount of air. Red light has the longest wavelength, meaning it is the only color capable of traveling that long distance to your eyes without being scattered.

For his second solo exhibition in Japan, Michael Anastassiades presents a curated selection of lighting, seating and sculptural objects presented throughout Taka Ishii Gallery in Kyoto. The works include a series of lamps with filament lights suspended inside fine glass tubes, stools crafted from a single trunk of solid douglas fir, lights made from moso bamboo and from shiratake bamboo, and a series of cast bronze objects patinated by hand.

Michael Anastassiades is a Cypriot-born British designer based in London. He initially trained as a civil engineer at Imperial College, before taking a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art. He founded his studio in 1994, followed by his eponymous brand in 2007.

His studio works across lighting, furniture, objects and spatial design. He has designed products for manufacturers, produced signature limited edition collections and presented solo exhibitions at galleries and museums worldwide. He has previously exhibited with Taka Ishii Gallery in Tokyo in 2017 and in Hong Kong in 2019. His most recent solo exhibition, “All Colours Will Agree in The Dark”, was presented in 2025 at Melas Martinos gallery in Athens.

In 2015, Anastassiades received the Royal Designer for Industry award from the Royal Society of Arts in recognition of outstanding contribution to lighting design. He has gone on to win several awards, including the ADI Compasso d’Oro in 2020 and the London Design Medal in 2025. In 2024, he received an OBE from King Charles III for services to design.

Gallery hours Thu-Sat 10:00 – 17:30
Closed Sun – Wed and National Holidays

Exhibition Duration 06.06. – 04.07.2026

www.takaishiigallery.com

Location:
Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto
123 Yada-cho, Shimogyo-ku
600-8442 Kyoto
Japan