2005 Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Masterworks Series

Hiromi Okumura

Space in Between

July 1 - August 3, 2005

Since the 1950s, Kyoto has emerged as a center for innovative ceramic artists in Japan, producing such legendary ceramists as Kazuo Yagi, Suzuki Osamu among many others. Their bold exploration propels contemporary Japanese ceramics beyond its traditional confines and continues to influence ceramic artists today. In 2005, Touching Stone Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico launches a Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Masterworks Series to introduce outstanding Japanese artists who are extending the "Kyoto School" tradition of pushing creative boundaries with clay.

Hiromi Okumura first gained attention in Japan with his bold minimalist sculptural vessel forms. His work have been exhibited world-wide as part of a travelling exhibition entitled "Japanese Pottery: The rising Generation from Traditional Japanese Kilns". The current show includes Okumura's signature sculptural pieces decorated with paddled patterns, and his recent work described as "folded forms with wrinkles".

Rather than seeking innovation for its own sake, Okumura works with a clear vision. A recurrent theme in his work seems to take cues from living forms. Two large pieces in this show entitled simply "No.13" and "No.14" appear at once prehistoric and futuristic, their paddled patterns add a timeless quality to their statuesque forms. Equally enthralling are the various "folded forms with wrinkles". These fluid dynamic pieces defy characterization by conventional terms. What appear at first glance as amorphous shapes may be viewed as the artist's exploration of spatial relationship between interior and exterior of vessel forms. Hidden among the myriad folds and wrinkles are functional vessels, vases, or incense burners. It is hard to discern where the wrinkles end and the vessels begin, as inner surfaces of vessels morph seamlessly like an Escher's puzzle into outer surfaces. Many of the pieces have a pale finish like bleached bones, further blurring the boundaries between the inner and outer spaces. This body of work intrigues like a Taoist enigma, asking when a vessel ceases to be a vessel as it opens itself up.

The resemblance of Okumura's work to bleached bones may be more than incidental. Okumura intends his forms to be delicate but strong, voluptuous without being heavy. Like a lithe skeleton supporting a body, he builds large forms from slabs of clay no thicker than a few millimeters, wrinkling the slabs at critical points to add strength. The pieces take on an organic appearance so devoid of artificial intentions that they look like end results from eons of evolution.

Born in 1953 in Kyoto, Japan, Okumura received his art training in the Department of Ceramic at Kyoto City University of Arts. He launched his independent career in ceramic after earning his Master degree in 1978. In 1996, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto. Since 1982, Okumura has exhibited his work all over Japan, and has received many awards, including the Grand Prize in the Kyoto Art & Craft Exhibition in 1990, followed by the Award of Excellence in the same exhibition in 1992. Since 1998, his work was exhibited in many countries as part of the traveling exhibition "Japanese Pottery: The Rising Generation from Traditional Japanese Kilns" sponsored by the Japan Foundation.

Space in Between #1

Ceramic vase form  5.5"H x 12" x 7.5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #2

Ceramic vase form  9.5"H x 14" x 3.5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #3

Ceramic hanging vase  10.5"H x 11.5" x 3.5"

Sold

Space in Between #4

Ceramic incense burner  4"H x 5.5" x 4"  (2 views)

Space in Between #5

Ceramic vase form  6"H x 7" x 4"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #6

Ceramic hanging vase  11.5"H x 13" x 2.5"

Sold

Space in Between #7

Ceramic incense burner  3.5"H x 6" x 5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #8

Ceramic incense burner  4.5"H x 6" x 3.5"  (2 views)

Space in Between #9

Ceramic platter  3.5"H x 21" x 7.5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #10

Ceramic platter  5"H x 17" x 7.5"  (2 views)

Space in Between #11,  #12

Ceramic forms  # 11 (5.5"H x 5" x 4")   #12 (5.5"H x 5" x 5")

Space in Between #21

Ceramic vase form  7"H x 10" x 3.5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #13

Ceramic vase form  16"H x 1 5" x 14"  (3 views)

Sold

Space in Between #14

Ceramic form  14"H x 19" x 7"  (3 views)

Sold

Space in Between #15

Ceramic incense burner  6.5"H x 4" x 5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #16

Ceramic incense burner  6.5"H x 6.5" x 6"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #17

Ceramic vase form  10"H x 14" x 8"  (2 views)

 Sold

Space in Between #18

Ceramic vase form  11.5"H x 13" x 7"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #19

Ceramic vase form  10"H x 16" x 4.5"  (2 views)

Sold

Space in Between #20

Ceramic vase form  8.5"H x 11" x 6"  (2 views)

Sold

Current show

New: Aug 2008

Previous show 1

Shows calendar

Gallery tour

 Inquiry/Order