exhibitions Hands and Earth: Perspectives on Contemporary Japanese Ceramics May 22 – August 15, 2021
Drawn from the Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection of Japanese Ceramics, “Hands and Earth” features works by some of 20th- and 21st-century Japan’s most important artists.
The exhibition traces the history of Japanese ceramics, beginning in the 1930s when the mingei (“folk craft”) movement sparked a newfound appreciation for the utilitarian pottery made by groups of artisans across the country. Today, the artform is simultaneously rooted in history and radically innovative. “Hands and Earth” illuminates how artists balance these often-contradictory impulses. Many of the contempo- rary ceramicists represented in the exhibition create sculptures that are experimental in both material and method. Inspired by mingei, others fashion functional objects using local clays and techniques passed down through generations. In an increasingly globalized world — and at a time when much of daily life has been relocated to “virtual” space — these works re - mind us of the enduring importance of place, tradition and community.
Sponsors: The Jeffrey Horvitz Foundation
KONDO Yuzo (Japanese, 1902 – 1985), yama sometsuke kinsai kabin (blue-and-white mountain design on gold-painted vase), ca. 1977. Cobalt blue-underglaze with gold on porcelain, 7 7/8 × 7 5/8 (diameter) inches. Collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, JC2017.001. KOIKE Shoko (Japanese, b. 1943), “Shell,” 1995. Glazed stoneware and porcelain,18 1/2 × 23 × 19 1/4 inches. Collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, JC2017.010. KUROKAWA Toru (Japanese, b. 1984), “Protocell-E,” 2016. Natural ash-glazed stoneware, 19 1/2 × 25 × 20 1/2 inches. Collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, JC2017.014.
8
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease