Hands and Earth: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics
On view March 9, 2019 - January 5, 2020 at the Crow Museum of Asian Art
Featuring an in-depth selection of important works by master Japanese ceramic artists of the last eighty years, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see significant examples of avant-garde approaches to clay.
Showcasing a range of shapes, glazes, and surface treatments, these ceramics reflect a duality of character, blending ingenuity with a dynamic relationship and deep respect for tradition. Most of the works on view are by masters who are living and practicing today. Current Japanese ceramic artists are widely considered among the most aesthetically and technically innovative in the world, yet their works often mirror the vibrant artistic tradition that began thousands of years ago.
Since 1950, the Japanese government has bestowed the title of “Living National Treasure” (LNT) upon its practicing artists who have attained the highest level of mastery in their chosen fields of discipline. Of the thirty-five artists whose works are being shown in this exhibition, seven have been honored with this designation. This exhibition marks the first time these world-class masterpieces are being displayed together publicly in Texas.
This exhibition draws from the collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, who have amassed an important encyclopedic collection of major Japanese modern and contemporary ceramics. Their collection of over 1,000 works is the largest, public or private, of contemporary Japanese ceramics outside of Japan.
This exhibition is presented by Orix Stewardship Foundation. Additional support is provided by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Hands and Earth: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics is organized by the Crow Museum of Asian Art and curated by Jacqueline Chao.
Header Image: Shingu Sayaka (b. 1979), Erosion, 2014. Black and gray toned stoneware. 7.8 x 16.5 x 14.3 inches. Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection. Photo by Yuko Weiner, Courtesy of Dai Ichi Arts
Installation photography by Chad Redmon, Courtesy of the Crow Museum of Asian Art.
