Hiruma Kazuyo 昼馬和代 Japanese, b. 1947

Dai Ichi Arts is delighted to present the summer exhibition “Clay in Motion: Women Artists in Japanese Ceramics”. This group spotlights the works of several distinguished contemporary women artists. From emerging artists to artists who are part of a vanguard generation of highly influential post-war artists in Japan, the works presented in this exhibition are imbued with intelligence, creativity, and sensitivity for form. The title “Clay in Motion” points to the forward-facing contemporary ceramic industry that is moved by innovation and inclusion. Exhibited are works by artists Kitamura Junko, Tanaka Yu, Watanabe Aiko, Etsuko Tashima, Ayumi Shigematsu, Oishi Sayaka, Shingu Sayaka, Kishi Eiko, Matsuda Yuriko, Ogawa Machiko, Hiruma Kazuyo, Ueba Kasumi.

On the occasion of the spring iteration of Asia Week New York 2022, Dai Ichi Arts is proud to present an exhibition, “Future Forms: Avant-Garde Sculpture in Japanese Ceramics”, showcasing a group of post-war, avant-garde sculptures that exemplify the idea of the "Kiln-Fired Object". Rather, this group of works epitomizes the ideologies of three central figures that pioneered the admission of the sculptural format into the world of Japanese ceramics. Yagi Kazuo 八木 一夫(1918-79), Yamada Hikaru 山田光 (1924-2001), and Suzuki Osamu 鈴木治 (1926-2001)’s philosophies sought to solidfy the role of the non-functional ceramic object in the world of Japanese pottery. As such, this exhibit will showcase the instrumental work of Yamada Hikaru, Suzuki Osamu, Hayashi Yasuo, Yanagihara Mutsuo, and the more contemporary sculptures of Miwa Ryosaku. This group of artworks will also spotlight the work of several distinguished contemporary women sculptors who are part of a vanguard generation of highly influential post-war artists in Japan. For example, the radical works of Tashima Etsuko 田嶋悦子 (b. 1959), Kishi Eiko 岸 映子 (b. 1948), and Sakurai Yasuko 櫻井靖子 (b. 1969), who investigate the use of light and color in their clay. On the other hand, the works of Ayumi Shigematsu 重松あゆみ (b. 1958) and Suhama Tomoko 須浜智子 (b. 1965) explore form and surface as influenced by Suzuki Osamu and West Coast Minimalism. Meanwhile, Matsuda Yuriko 松田百合子 (b. 1943) , Shingu Sayaka 新宮さやか (b. 1979), Kato Mami 加藤真美 (b. 1963) & more elaborate upon decorative motifs, creating surfacescapes on ceramic exteriors. The exhibition brings to light on how female voices have understood the sculptural visual vocabulary & modernisms of the radical Sodeisha Movement. Get in touch today for a copy of our catalogue (digital or in-print), or to arrange a viewing of the full exhibition in an online viewing room, or in-person!

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is delighted present our fall exhibition “Terraform: Depictions of Earth in Japanese Ceramics from 1970” on the occasion of the fall 2021 iteration of Asia Week New York.

The exhibition brings focus to Japanese ceramics that play upon the theme “Terraform.” Curated into two parts, the first group of works is bound by the theme “Memories of the Earth”, articulating the relationship between time, memory, earth, and clay. The sculptural forms from the ceramicists Suzuki Osamu 鈴木 藏 (b. 1934, LNT), Hiruma Kazuyo 昼馬 和代 (b. 1947), and Hayashi Shotaro 林 正太郎 (b. 1947) in this group respond to the wonders of the natural landscape in their work. The second group of works surrounds “Earthen Images”, tying together representations of the earth via image, pictorial forms, and surfacescape from the ceramic works of Murata Gen 村田 元 (1904-1988) and Wakao Toshisada 若尾 利貞 (b. 1933).

From form to image, this exhibition enquires into the literal, affectual, sculptural and representational ways that clay may be used to envision the earth. We warmly invite you to get in touch to view selected works, or to receive a copy of our catalogue.