CONCEPT
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Between the Vessel and the Non-Vessel In
1948, the avant-garde group Sodeisha was formed in Kyoto by Yagi Kazuo,
Yamada Hikaru, Suzuki Osamu and others. Before Sodeisha, the primary forms of
expression in ceramic art were vessels such as jars or plates, craft items
that incorporated function as one of their elements. For
example, in 1955, Tomimoto Kenkichi was the first ceramic artist to be
designated as the holder of an Intangible Important Cultural Asset, or Living
National Treasure, a designation established by the national government to
protect traditional culture. Tomimoto’s work was all decorative
pottery based on functional vessels. The “Mingei” movement promulgated by Yanagi Muneyoshi, of course, was also
focused on functional pottery. However,
Japanese ceramics experienced a significant transformation in 1954 with the
exhibition of Yagi’s work “The
Walk of Mr. Zamza.” This non-functional sculpture is
a ring-shaped form with wheel-thrown parts attached. At the time it attracted
attention as “objet-yaki.” This was the beginning of a new
expressive movement in clay known as avant-garde ceramic art. Around
the same time, sculptors such as Isamu Noguchi and Tsuji Shindo were creating
abstract expressions using clay as their medium. These works probably exerted
an influence on the new ceramic art. At
the time, I was studying craft design at the Kyoto School of Craft. These new
trends had a significant influence on me, and I began to make fledgling
attempts at creating objet-yaki. The
same kind of movement was occurring simultaneously around the world. In
America, artists such as Peter Voulkos, John Mason, and Viola Frey were
making large-scale sculptures, and in Europe Carlo Zauli, Nino Caruso, and
Pompeo Pianezzola were finding new ways to express themselves in clay. I
joined Sodeisha in 1967, and began to exhibit works centered around the
activities of Sodeisha. Under the guidance of my seniors Yagi Kazuo, Suzuki
Osamu, Yamada Hikaru, and Kumakura Junkichi, I continued to create my own objet-yaki. In
those days Sodeisha was a kind of study group led by Yagi, and debates were
held in the cheap bars of Kyoto’s red-light district. The
members of Sodeisha were creating ceramic sculpture, but they were also
potters who made jars and plates and wares for the tea ceremony. Yagi,
in particular, was fond of saying in a deprecating Kyoto dialect, “We just make bowls!” When as a young man I
argued that tea bowls were a classic product of authoritarianism, Yagi
dismissed my argument, saying that “tea bowls are
also craft!” I could not contradict him. In
the 40 years since those days, in ceramic education as well as exhibitions,
contemporary ceramic art has come to mean abstract sculptural forms. Since
around the beginning of the Heisei period, however, I have begun to notice
many works that are stylized imitations of other expressions, or works that
clearly remind me of something I have seen before. These are appearing and
winning prizes at juried exhibitions. Sculptural ceramics that are altogether
too immature are appearing in gallery exhibitions. Surely I am not the only
one who is troubled by this trend. Over
the past 20 years or so, I have observed in my own way the Japanese
Traditional Handicrafts Exhibition, which I have opposed as authoritarian
since my youth. In this exhibition I have noticed a large number of ceramic
vessels of high quality, not only in the level of technical skill but also as
modern craft. Although
I have been influenced by American minimalist forms over my career, in recent
years I have finally begun to appreciate the meaning of Sen Rikyu’s wabi (simplicity, stoicism) and sabi (taste, discovery) as synonymous with a common aesthetic. Having
reached 70 years old and growing older, I have come to realize that vessels
and non-vessels coexist in the awareness and expression of my ceramic art.
Considering my own fluctuation, I am amused and a little embarrassed. February 17,
2010 Sasayama Tadayasu
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