We are delighted to present Yotaro Fujinoki’s first solo exhibition with us in two years.
Balanced forms. Meticulous craftsmanship. Beautiful textures. And the distinctive appeal of Karatsu ware.
When all of these elements come together, the result is a vessel of remarkable beauty and refinement.
I wrote something similar in the introduction to his previous exhibition, but I still believe this is the greatest appeal of Fujinoki’s work. It is easy enough to put into words. Achieving it, however, is another matter entirely.
To create a beautifully balanced form, one must first possess that sense of balance—and then have the technical skill to give it physical form. Meticulous craftsmanship requires unwavering attention to every single piece. And without continually studying and exploring ceramics itself, it is impossible to keep producing work that remains genuinely interesting.
Fujinoki achieves all of these things at an exceptionally high level, and that quality can be found throughout his work, from tea bowls to the smallest mamezara dishes.
His vessels are also made with careful consideration for how they will actually be used, with subtle practical details incorporated throughout. This is surely one of the reasons his work is so highly regarded by chefs and restaurants.
Having read this far, you might now be imagining Fujinoki as a terribly serious and rigid sort of person.
And yet, he also does things that are completely out there—like the piece featured on the cover of this catalogue.
He presented works like this at his previous exhibition as well.
Perhaps it is because he knows how much I love Blankey Jet City.
This is love.
It has to be.
