The Japan Society in New York City will present Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century a “vibrant survey featuring the creative and iconoclastic masterworks of artists — many working in Japan’s medieval ceramic centers — who have been influenced by the avant-garde Sodeisha group. The selected pieces range from finely crafted porcelains to rough-hewn vessels that revel in the happy accidents of wood-fired kilns, and to ironic objects that mimic newspapers, discarded trash, and body parts. Originally organized and presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Japan Society’s showing of Contemporary Clay will feature approximately 100 works by 40 artists, with added pieces from New York museum and private collections. This exhibition is curated by Joe Earle, the MFA’s Matsutaro Shoriki Chair of the Department of Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa.”

Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century

September 29, 2006 – January 21, 2007

This exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

From the MFA’s website: “The selection is drawn mostly from the collection of New Yorkers Alice and Halsey North and reflects their informed taste in its emphasis on works made under the influence of the avant-garde Sodeisha group, which challenged the traditional supremacy of utilitarian forms while maintaining a respect for technical excellence. Also strongly featured are artists reacting to the diverse opportunities and challenges of their craft heritage, some breaking away toward pure sculpture, others reinventing the vessel ideal with a range of new forms and glaze effects.”

I saw this show in Boston and it contains an almost comprehensive look at the range of premier ceramic artists from Japan, each piece is an prime exemple of the possibilities for expression in ceramics.

I thought the installation in Boston was a little cramped and forced you to see too much too close together which kept you from enjoying the individual pieces. Hopefully, Japan Society will use its large exhibition space to open up the show. The addition of 40 new pieces will make this a show to see even if you caught it in Boston.

Many of the artists in the show have either been inspirations for or direct teachers of some of our best ceramic artists and the show will add to our appreciation of what sets American art apart from Japanese .