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The oeuvre of ceramicist Hiromi Itabashi (b. 1948) could easily be mistaken for soft sculpture, as his whimsical shapes contain an elegance seeming free of any rigidity. A modernist approach to traditional materials, Itabashi works mainly with white porcelain and chamotte. The use of these contrasting materialities allows for freer interplay of shapes and form. Itabashi complicates established notions of directionality, pushing the boundaries of how we look at an artwork. -
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Yukiya Izumita (b. 1966) is the leading ceramicist of Japan’s northeast Tohoku arts region. He uses origami paper techniques to construct layered sculptures that reflect the harsh seaside atmosphere. The visual lightness of Izumita’s tiered ceramics betray the salt- and iron-dense clay collected from the coastal beaches. In response to the unrelenting northern environment, Izumita’s works come to resemble the strange and natural bluff rock formations. Izumita is the recipient of the 20th Biennial Japanese Ceramic Art Exhibition’s Excellence Award and the Grand Prize at the Asahi Ceramic Exhibitions of 2000 and 2002. His pieces are in collections including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Iwate Museum of Art.
