Art City Tokyo: SODEISHA - An Era Born Out of Avant-garde Ceramics

Japan, a major ceramics powerhouse, boasts unique kiln sites across the country that attract many tourists. Recently, a trend has emerged where people are taking up pottery as a hobby. This time, we are introducing an exhibition by "Sodeisha," an avant-garde ceramics group founded in Kyoto in 1948 that championed anti-tradition. Although the group has since disbanded, their contribution to Japanese ceramics is significant; they produced ceramic works as three-dimensional art rather than ordinary vessels, instilling this new perspective into Japanese pottery. The group was not bound by special rules or directives, and individuals with diverse ideas gathered to create actively under the concept of avant-garde, gaining international attention.
These works, often referred to as "fired objects," showcase the potential of ceramics as a means of expressing the artist's inner self. Influenced by contemporary art forms such as those of Picasso and Isamu Noguchi, the works undeniably embody traditional Japanese techniques and aesthetics.
走泥社再考「前衛陶芸が生まれた時代」展
The Sodeisha Group - An Era Born Out of Avant-garde Ceramics
菊池寛実記念・智美術館
Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Tomo Museum
5th July - 1st Sept, 2024
■Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Tomo Museum :
www.musee-tomo...