Every year, I look forward to seeing the surface of Nishioka’s Ki-Seto, and once again this year it is exceptionally sharp and refined. The forms also seem to have gained an even greater sense of precision, and together with the delicate abura-age-like texture of the surface, they create a wonderfully pleasing sense of tension.
Nishioka says that making Ki-Seto requires constant attention to countless small details and can be quite mentally exhausting. Oribe, by contrast, allows him to work with a much freer and more open state of mind. You can certainly see this in the way his bold, lively designs are expressed so freely in the finished forms. Although Nishioka’s works emerge from these two opposite states of mind and approaches to making, they still possess a strong sense of unity. This is perhaps because, at their foundation, they all grow out of his sustained engagement with Mino ceramics of the Momoyama period.
This exhibition will once again focus on Ki-Seto and Oribe, alongside Shino and the distinctive black works unique to Nishioka. As it is the New Year, we will also be serving complimentary sake! We warmly invite you to visit!
