Ceramics on Lacquerware: Keiji Ito and Tohru Matsuzaki

Overview

Ippodo Gallery Tokyo is holding “Ceramics on the Lacquerware”, a collaborative exhibition featuring Keiji Ito, ceramic artist, and Tohru Matsuzaki, wooden lacquerware artist.

 

The two artists were first connected by Ippodo Gallery and Shigeru Uchida, renowned interior designer. Uchida once wrote “Keiji Ito’s artwork reassures me ‘the power of form’. The spirit of things lurks in the form.” He also acclaimed Matsuzaki by commenting, “Matsuzaki’s red is undoubtedly Jomon red. The Jomon red embodies that of the sun. The big, nonchalant sun is directly reflected into Matsuzaki’s works.”

 

Matsuzaki begins with selecting wood as a raw material, then carves it into a shape by using chisel and plane, and finally applies lacquer to it over and over again. The process of making lacquerware usually ends there; however, he further polishes it for completion. The result is the art work that would last for centuries.

 

When he was a student, Ito often visited Nara, went to see old temples, sketched Buddha statues, and took pictures of architecture and Buddhist pagodas which intrigued him. Although his focus was switched to the series that expresses “forms” evoking “sacred” objects in the 1980s, his origin is actually in Nara.

 

When Ito’s three-dimensional, sacred “pagoda” is placed on Matsuzaki’s wooden, lacquered tray, a new mysterious power is generated.

作品
  • Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 トルソー, 2020
    Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 トルソー, 2020
  • Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 トルソー, 2020
    Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 トルソー, 2020
  • Keiji Ito 小さな造形 香合, 2020 Ceramic
    Keiji Ito
    小さな造形 香合, 2020
    Ceramic
  • Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 塔, 2020
    Keiji Ito, 小さな造形 塔, 2020
  • Keiji Ito 小さな造形 石, 2020 Ceramic
    Keiji Ito
    小さな造形 石, 2020
    Ceramic
  • Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
    Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
  • Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
    Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
  • Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
    Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
  • Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
    Keiji Ito, ドローイング 塔
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 彩色大皿
    Keiji Ito, 彩色大皿
  • Keiji Ito Tower , 2018 Ceramic
    Keiji Ito
    Tower , 2018
    Ceramic
  • Keiji Ito 塔 Ceramic
    Keiji Ito
    Ceramic
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito 塔 Ceramic
    Keiji Ito
    Ceramic
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Keiji Ito, 塔
    Keiji Ito,
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆すみまる箱
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆すみまる箱
  • Tohru Matsuzaki 黒漆日の丸盆, 2017 Lacquer
    Tohru Matsuzaki
    黒漆日の丸盆, 2017
    Lacquer
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆すみまる箱
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆すみまる箱
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, Ridged Tray
    Tohru Matsuzaki, Ridged Tray
  • Tohru Matsuzaki 黒漆楕円箱, 2019 Lacquer
    Tohru Matsuzaki
    黒漆楕円箱, 2019
    Lacquer
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆銀鎬蓋物
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆銀鎬蓋物
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 朱漆水指
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 朱漆水指
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 塗分象嵌盤
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 塗分象嵌盤
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 朱漆楕円箱
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 朱漆楕円箱
  • Tohru Matsuzaki 拭漆黒楕円箱, 2020 Lacquer
    Tohru Matsuzaki
    拭漆黒楕円箱, 2020
    Lacquer
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆内銀すみ入鉢
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 黒漆内銀すみ入鉢
  • Tohru Matsuzaki, 栗拭漆花形盆
    Tohru Matsuzaki, 栗拭漆花形盆
Installation Views