Masatoshi Shimizu solo exhibition

We are pleased to present a solo exhibition by Masatoshi for the first time in two years.

Masatoshi works across a wide range of ceramics, including unglazed high-fired ware, porcelain, and glazed pieces, all fired in a single-chamber wood-fired kiln known as a jagama. One of the great attractions of his work is undoubtedly the kiln transformations. His unglazed pieces are beautiful, but his glazed works are somewhat unusual. The kiln effects produced by minerals that create strong colours, such as copper red and turquoise blue, are particularly striking. Each glaze, however, has its own ideal firing temperature, which makes the process difficult. If the temperature is too low, the glaze will not melt; if it is too high, the minerals responsible for the colour can vaporize, leaving the glaze transparent. These materials may be difficult to control, but there are surface effects that can only be achieved through the rapid heating and cooling characteristic of the jagama.

Masatoshi recently carried out extensive repairs to this kiln. There are no architectural plans to follow, and even when it is rebuilt as closely as possible to its previous form, some changes inevitably occur. The character of the kiln itself changes as well. For this exhibition, half of the works were fired in the first firing after the repairs, while the other half were fired in the kiln before it was repaired. We hope you will enjoy discovering the differences between them when you visit the exhibition.