We are delighted to present Matsumoto’s first solo exhibition with us in two years.
This year, Matsumoto’s work is more diverse than ever. He already works across a remarkably broad range of styles, including Shigaraki, Yūka Shigaraki, overglaze red decoration, iron-painted ware, and amber-glazed ware. This time, Oribe and Mishima will be added to the mix. And if everything is ready in time, he also plans to unveil some new glaze works that are still under development.
Exciting!!
Shigaraki, Oribe, and Mishima are all traditions explored by many ceramic artists, but Matsumoto has a distinctive approach to form, the use of stamped decoration, and the composition of his painted designs. The result is an atmosphere that clearly sets his work apart.
There is something both familiar and fresh about it—a perfectly balanced dose of stimulation that makes his work particularly enjoyable.
One example of this is Yūka Shigaraki, a technique Matsumoto developed several years ago. First, Shigaraki is fired in an anagama, allowing the characteristic keshiki—the landscapes created by flame and ash—to emerge across its surface. Glaze is then applied to the fired piece, which is fired once again. The result is a curious form of glazed ware in which the dramatic kiln transformations of Shigaraki remain visible beneath and interact with the glaze.
As far as I know, Matsumoto is the only artist working with this technique.
After all, who would think of taking an already wood-fired, unglazed Shigaraki vessel, covering it with glaze, and firing it all over again!
The exhibition will bring together Matsumoto’s latest and most ambitious works.
We very much hope you will come and see the exhibition.
