Joan Mirviss's taste in contemporary Japanese ceramics is well known and this year she is presenting works by Matsui Kosei (1927-2003), Kamoda Shoji (1933-1983) and Wada Morihiro (1944-2008), major innovators in the scheme of 20th-century Japanese ceramics. This is the first exhibition outside Japan for all three of the clay artists on view, and each have a unique style that has inspired future generations. Kamoda Shoji (1933-1983) has long been considered by many Japanese connoisseurs to be the greatest Japanese ceramic artist of the 20th century. In an unrivalled period of productivity from 1967-78, Kamoda transformed the aesthetic appreciation of modern ceramics in Japan, awakening the entire conservative traditional ceramic world to a new vision of the concept of 'function'. All the aritsts squestered themselves away in the name of innovation: Matsui evolved his mastery of neriage (a careful combination of colouring clay) as a priest, while Kamoda and Morihiro sequestered themselves away north of Tokyo, as a means to search deeper into their craftsmanship, breaking away from conservative contemporaries and an emphasis on classical motifs. Each has their own technique that challenges as well as celebrates surface and form, with geometrics, glazing, and rubbing techniques that have been esteemed for generations and continue today. Surface and form are complementary in harmony, with thorough attention paid to shape, decorative adornment, and overall effect. This exhibition runs with additional works presented as a solo show by Iguchi Daisuke, in an exhibition called, Depth of Time.
Joan B Mirviss, 39 East 78th Street, Suite 401, New York, 10075, tel 212 799 4021, info@mirviss.com