Contemporary artist Kino Satoshi (b. 1987) is a young sculptor with a big vision who, like many Japanese ceramic artists, finds inspiration in nature and its powerful forces. His recent celadon series is titled Oroshi, which refers to a cold wind coming down from the mountains. This exemplary 2015 sculpture places the viewer in front of a perfectly balanced spiral form made by a cool mountain wind.
Kino was making traditional wheel-thrown pieces as an MFA candidate at Kyoto Art University. When the artist visited New York city, he became engrossed in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and Dia:Beacon, which resulted in Kino ceasing to leave traces of his hand on his work. Kino's practice became much more sculptural, investigating how each viewer interacted with his work. Along with celadon, Kino experiments with outdoor wood and metal sculptures.
Kino's clean and unmarked surfaces now convey more nuanced interactions with space. To make his wind-shaped celadon sculptures, Kino throws a very large cyclinder, cuts and glazes a desired strip, and places it on a large platter surface to fire. As the viewer walks around Oroshi, the sculpture retains its pristine identity while sinuously shifting its shape between different vantage points. Kino invites us to take flight with this gust of wind.