Featured Ceramic by Yukiya Izumita
泉田之也
Yukiya Izumita (b. 1966) grew up in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan
in an area with high mountains, deep forests and beautiful sea shores.
After college, he worked for three years in Tokyo but decided that the
populous metropolis was not for him. In 1992, he followed his true
calling and returned north to take up an apprenticeship in pottery
making under Kokuji-yaki master Gakuho Simodake. In 1995, Izumita
established his own kiln in Noda Mura in Iwate Prefecture. In the same
year,
The first impression of Yukiya Izumita's
work is often one of amazement. One seldom expects to see clay honed to
razor-thin edges, torn apart, twisted at impossible angles like giant
origami, to create shapes that exude quiet beauty and tension, forms
that appear unpolished and at the same time complete. Great technical
expertise is required to create such work, which stands out even among
the most creative contemporary Japanese ceramics.
Beyond the innovative forms and technical
brilliance, Izumita's creations are meant to convey deeper meanings.
Passage of time is often implicit in each piece, whether it suggests
deeply fissured boulders, a dried up and cracked stream bed or
erosion-exposed bedrocks. To capture the raw power and beauty of earth,
Izumita uses clay from his area, and blends in sand and stones to create
a unique clay body with the right combination of resilience and texture.
He keeps his forms simple, with purposeful lines and surfaces to convey
his visions. Glazes are used only to complement his visions, with
warm-toned glazes to enhance earthy textures, and cold-toned glazes to
evoke water.
In 2011, Izumita’s home town was hit by the
devastating Tohoku tsunami. The disaster heightened Izumita’s awareness
of the fragility of life and laid bare the irony between nature’s beauty
and terrifying power. In the aftermath of that experience, Izumita
channeled his emotions to produce spectacular works that speak of the
inseparable nature of beauty and decay, destruction and renewal - an
integral character of natural cycles and the very essence of Japanese
aesthetic. His innovative work won many awards, including an Excellence
Award in the Nittshin Menbachi Grand Prize Exhibition, two Grand Prizes
in the 2000 and 2002 Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibitions, and an Excellence
Award in the prestigious Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2009.
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on images to view selected pieces
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