This year, we are once again delighted to present an exhibition by Kazuhiro Kanda and Yu Sugimoto.
Our relationship with Kanda began through the signature seals he had carved for several of the ceramic artists we work with. In fact, our gallery logo, which also appears in this catalogue, is one of Kanda’s creations.
Kanda himself is an avid lover of ceramics and has amassed quite a collection. He also enjoys fishing and cooking. Among the artists who have been invited to dine at his home, his cooking is apparently so impressive that his house has come to be known as “Kanda Ryotei”—Kanda’s very own traditional Japanese restaurant.
Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that his work pairs so naturally with Shigaraki. Bold yet meticulous, his carved calligraphy possesses both a powerful presence and a certain tension. Increasingly, he has also been commissioned to create signs for Japanese restaurants and craft shops. Another distinctive feature of his work is the frequent use of themes drawn from Zen.
Sugimoto, meanwhile, will present a further evolution of the “Openwork Shigaraki” that proved so popular last year.
As I wrote then, carving intricate openwork into Shigaraki clay—which is filled with stones and coarse particles of all sizes—is nothing short of hell.
The material is simply not suited to it.
And yet Sugimoto does it.
Again this year.
And this time, it has evolved even further!!
Let me be clear: I am not asking him to do this simply to make him suffer. The results are genuinely wonderful. These are exceptional vessels in which the rustic, untamed character of Shigaraki coexists with the refined elegance created by delicate openwork.
The exhibition will feature mukōzuke dishes, sake vessels, ceramic boxes, and other forms that make full use of this openwork technique.
There will also be plenty of Shigaraki without openwork, ranging from pieces with dramatic kiln transformations to the warm hiiro fire color that seems perfectly suited to autumn.
Tea wares, flower vessels, sake wares, and tableware will all be on display.
We look forward to welcoming you.
