Hiroyuki Wakimoto Pottery

Featured Artist - Hiroyuki Wakimoto
See more of this artist's work: 2002 show, 2003 show, 2004 show, 2005 show, 2006 show, 2007 show, 2009 show, 2010 show, 2012 show
Hiroyuki Wakimoto 脇本博之 Wakimoto has long been interested in ancient cultures. Some of his early works were inspired by old Japanese and Chinese utensils. In 2004, Wakimoto visited New Mexico on invitation by Touching Stone Gallery and the New Mexico Museum of International Folk Art to exhibit at the inaugurating International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe. During that visit, Wakimoto held a roundtable discussion on wood-fired pottery with local ceramic artists, and toured some of the ancient Native American ruins in the area. The distinctive culture of the Southwest left a strong impression on Wakimoto, casting subtle influences on his subsequent works. Some of the works in his current show appear to be inspired by architectural designs of the ancient ruins, testaments to a fascinating dialog between the diverse ancient cultures in the East and West. Composite forms of vases and incense burners are among Wakimoto's signature works. Wakimoto fired the separate components of each piece in different parts of the kiln to produce contrasting colors and textures. Most of the pieces were sculpted from chunks of clay rather than thrown on a wheel. The technique, called "kurinuki", offers great freedom for creating unique shapes. Reflecting on the evolution of his style, Wakimoto recalled, "In the beginning, I cared too much about making my work unique, my hands struggled with the clay. Then one day, I set my hands free to express my honest feelings without thinking too hard. From that day, I felt relaxed and my work became spontaneous". During his distinguished career, Wakimoto has won many prestigious awards, including the Grand Prize of Yakishime Exhibition. Since his American debut in 2002, he has exhibited every year in Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe. His works continuously evolved, every show is fresh, original and exciting. Such untiring quest for new ideas is possibly the most important attribute of a creative artist, a quality that may ultimately distinguish art itself from craft.	Hiroyuki Wakimoto visiting Santa Fe
Click on images to view selected pieces Inquiry/order: director@touchingstone.com

Hioyuki Wakimoto Covered Vase 01 Wood-fired ceramic 6.5"h x 6" x 4.5" (2 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 02 Wood-fired ceramic 6.45"h x 4.25" x 3.75" (3 views) $680

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 03 Wood-fired ceramic 8.5"h x 4.5" x 4" (2 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 04 Wood-fired ceramic 5.75"h x 4" x 3.5" (3 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 05 Wood-fired ceramic 6"h x 3.5" x 3.5" (2 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 06 Wood-fired ceramic 5.75"h x 4.5" x 3.5" (2 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto Incense Burner 07 Wood-fired ceramic 7.5"h x 7.5" x 4.5" (2 views) Sold

Hioyuki Wakimoto "A" Vase 08 Wood-fired ceramic 9"h x 5.5" x 4.75" (2 views) Sold
Exhibitions & Awards 1952 Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu 1975 Osaka Art College 1981 Apprenticeship under Bizen ceramist Joji Yamashita 1990 Established own kiln in Bizen Honorable Mention, 52nd Itt-sui Kai Ten 1991 8th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 2nd Biennial Ceramic Exhibition 38th Japan Traditional Arts & Crafts Exhibition 1st Yaki-shime Ten Honorable Mention, 53rd Itt-sui Kai Ten 1992 9th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 30th Asahi Ceramics Exhibition 39th Japan Traditional Arts & Crafts Exhibition 54th Itt-sui Kai Ten 1993 Honorable Mention, 3rd Biennial Ceramic Exhibition 31st Asahi Ceramics Exhibition 36th Japan Traditional Arts & Crafts Exhibition, China Branch Asahi Contemporary Arts & Crafts Invitational Exhibition 1994 11th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum Grand Prize, 2nd Yaki Shime Juried Show Chairman’s Award, Japan Arts & Crafts Exhibition, Chu-goku Chapter 1995 12th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 13th Japan Ceramics Exhibition 42th Japan Traditional Arts & Crafts Exhibition 1996 13th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 34th Asahi Ceramics Exhibition 1997 14th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 35th Asahi Ceramics Exhibition 44th Japan Traditional Arts & Crafts Exhibition Nominated as a permanent member of Japan Arts & Crafts Association 1998 15th Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum 1999 37th Asahi Ceramics Exhibition 2000 3 - 4 shows every year in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe 2002 Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2003 Kuroda Toen Gallery, Tokyo Tenmaya, Takamatsu Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2004 Kuroda Toen Gallery, Tokyo Tenmaya, Fukuoka Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Invited artist, Santa Fe International Folk Art Market 2004, USA 2005 Kuroda Toen Gallery, Tokyo Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 2006 Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Komats Yamato, Ishikawa Prefecture 2007 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 2008 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo 2009 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Tenmaya, Kurashiki Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 2010 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 2011 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Gallery Yabuki, Okayama Sogo Department Store, Kobe 2012 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Tenmaya, Takamatsu Kenmin Department Store, Kumamoto 2013 Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo 2014 Two-person show, Hamaya, Nagasaki Gallery Aoyama, Tokyo Daimaru Department Store, Tottori Iwane Gallery, Okayama 2015 32nd Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum Collected by West Virginia University Art Museum, USA Collected by Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA Sanyo Departmant Store, Hyogo 2016 Collected by Cincinati Art Museum, USA 33rd Cha-no-yu no Zo-kei Ten, Tanabe Museum Publication 2002 Omen - An article on Hiroyuki Wakimoto's work, by Tim Wong & Akko Hirano. In: Ceramics: Art & Perception, no. 48, pp. 97 - 99.

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