This year, we are once again delighted to present a solo exhibition by Masatoshi Shimizu.
Following last year’s exhibition, which featured a wide variety of unglazed and glazed works fired in his jagama, or “snake kiln,” Shimizu returns this year with yet another new direction. His popular Hyakki Yagyō series, combining blue-and-white decoration with dramatic kiln transformations, has also become even more refined.
I think of Shimizu as an exceptionally versatile artist when it comes to yōhen—the transformations and effects produced through firing. What fascinates me about his work is the way he makes full use of the jagama and various other types of kilns to draw out the inherent qualities of different materials in a manner entirely his own.
His approach ranges from classical traditions to more modern expressions, always incorporating his own interpretations. There is a flexibility to his practice—or perhaps it is simply an open and genuine spirit of exploration—that continually leads him in directions we cannot predict. Every year, he keeps us wondering what he will do next.
Not wanting to be outdone by Shimizu, I decided to change the orientation of the catalogue this year.
Is it a little harder to read??
We very much hope you will come and see the exhibition.
Jagama (“snake kiln”): A long, low-ceilinged wood-fired kiln whose shape resembles a snake. Shimizu’s jagama consists of a single chamber.
