Celebrating Asian Art

PAINTED CLAY
WADA MORIHIRO AND MODERN CERAMICS OF JAPAN

March 16-24, 2023
Standing at the center of a long tradition of ceramic surface decoration is Japanese artist Wada Morihiro (1944-2008), a revered master of intricate surface patterning. For Asia Week New York, Joan B Mirviss LTD is thrilled to present an exhibition of this past master’s oeuvre alongside the many Japanese artists who paint on clay, employing a wide range of techniques. These works by Wada’s predecessors and successors will stand in conversation with those by Wada. A fully illustrated catalogue with relevant essays will accompany the exhibition and will be available online.

Shigaraki: Contemporary Artists on an Ancient Tradition

Zoom program, February 23, 5pm EST
Known for its distinctive clay and beautiful natural ash glazes, Shigaraki ware is one of Japan’s celebrated ceramic traditions. As one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kiln sites, Shigaraki has long produced functional vessels with a characteristic rustic appearance in warm, earthy tones. This enormously appealing tradition found a new audience with American artists and collectors in the past few decades, thereby expanding our idea of Shigaraki-yaki’s possibilities. Curator Natsu Oyobe shares this remarkable crossover story, which is the subject of her current exhibition, Clay as Soft Power. She will be joined by two featured artists who will offer key insights into their process of working in this fascinating medium: Shiga-based Ōtani Shiro, a leader in wood-fired ceramics and designated an Intangible Cultural Asset, and American artist Peter Callas, whose originality has pushed the field in new directions and has been twice awarded the Pollock-Krasner Fellowship. Together, they provide an extraordinarily modern view of Shigaraki ware in the 21st century.

PANELISTS:
Peter Callas, artist
Ōtani Shiro, artist
Natsu Oyobe, Curator of Asian Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art, MI
Moderated by Joan Mirviss

To register for this free event, click here. A link will be automatically emailed to you when you sign up.