Celebrating Asian Art

The Four Elements in Japanese Arts: Earth, Air, Fire and Water

April 5 - May 12, 2023

Hours: Wed & Fri: 1-5pm

Onishi Gallery is proud to present The Four Elements in Japanese Arts: Earth, Air, Fire and Water - a stunning exhibition that showcases the technical mastery of Contemporary Japanese Ceramic artists. For generations, Japanese people have appreciated and incorporated natural elements into their everyday lives. They have adorned the interiors of their homes with natural forms, designed spaces that capture the natural world in the frame of a garden, decorated art objects with subjects found in the wild, and penned haiku poetry about details of the natural environment. In this landmark exhibition, featured artists draw upon the four central elements of earth, air, fire, and water in porcelain creations to communicate core themes and creative visions that ground Japanese art and life.

Featured artists in the exhibition include Living National Treasures: Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933-2009), Yoshita Minori (b. 1932), Imaizumi Imaemon XIV (b. 1962), Maeta Akihiro (b. 1974) and Inoue Manji (b. 1929). These artists encapsulate the elegant subtlety amongst the delicate art of porcelain. Tokuda Yasokichi III and Yoshita Minori carry delicate creations throughout the space with traditional glaze and gold leaf textures. Imaizumi Imaemon XIV elevates contemporary Nabeshima porcelain painted with his Rinpa-style designs, while Maeta Akihiro, focuses on elegance with his technique of forming designs by hand, free-form sculpting with just fingers and palms to create stillness into simplistic creations. Lastly, Inoue Manji, recognized for hakuji porcelain-ware, creates smooth, soft, silky surfaces of delicately hardened forms characterizing the unmatched beauty of Manji's work.

The artists who are joined in the grace of the porcelain craft include: Shomura Ken (b. 1949), Tokuda Yasokichi IV (b. 1961) Ohi Toshio Chozaemon XI (b. 1958) Ohi Toyasai Chozaemon X (b. 1927) Yoshita Yukio (b. 1960) Konno Tomoko (b. 1967) Suzuki Miki (b. 1970) Akiko Noda (b. 1975) Eno Masatake (b. 1965) and Itabashi Hiromi (b. 1948).