If clay can express poetry, then the sculptures of Japanese artist Ken Mihara (b. 1958) are its ultimate example. In his clay art, Mihara is telling a story, and his story is the narrative of his identity, with the rich Japanese landscape, its earth, forests, rivers, and mountains, of his childhood home, growing up in Izumo, on Japan’s Honshu Island. Mihara’s stoneware vessels tells that story so accurately and the native materials he uses are so convincing that you feel like you are traveling through that beautiful nature in person. Now, that Mihara’s latest work is the subject of a solo show at Tokyo-based gallery A Lighthouse called Kanata, it is a great opportunity to look deeply into his poetry and to inhale its multiple layers. This show is the first since the gallery, known as Yufuku, has unveiled its new direction, name, and home.
Mihara’s abstraction, merging twisted curves with straight horizontal and vertical bands have become recognizable for his signature. They are always abstract, always sculptural. At times, they look like solid origami sculptures; at others, like ancient monuments; and always manifest in magnificent silhouettes. Their colors capture the magnificence of the Japanese landscape, so closed to his heart.
In the video below, created for the show, Mihara’s sources and process are revealed, demonstrating his process of recreating nature. While it seems like he may be working from maquettes, Mihara rather creates everything directly from the clay. He never uses glazes or slips, but the colors are always in the clay itself, achieved by closely controlled gas-kiln firings of great intensity and length.
The exhibition at Lighthouse called Kanata will be on view through September 26th, 2020.
|
|
|
