KITAMURA Junko 北村純子
Vessel, 2022
Stoneware
H13” x Dia 11.5”
H33x Dia 29.2cm
H33x Dia 29.2cm
With Signed Wood Box
Vertiginous, geometric, and sculptural are words ascribed to Kitamura Junko’s style. Trained under the important Sodeisha pioneer Suzuki Osamu, Kitamura’s sense for abstract, sculptural form shines through in her functional vessels. She also studied under the Living National Treasure, Kondō Yutaka (1932-1983), whose sense for surface pattern is palpable in her work. Her intricate patterns are inspired by Korean Buncheong pottery, which reached its zenith in popularity during the Joseon dynasty. Her work, like Buncheong pottery, features concentric, dotted, impressed surface design inlaid with a viscous white slip. At the same time, it recalls the extensive history of decorative arts in Japan, taking after textile patterns in the intricacy of the linear designs made in a scrolling pattern across the surface of her monochromatic clay. As a woman in the male-dominated ceramic industry in Japan, Kitamura progresses the field forward.