Round dark vessel with textured surface and carved irregular mouth, 2009
Black bizen stoneware
14 x 13 inches
Inv# 7323
POR
Black bizen stoneware
14 x 13 inches
Inv# 7323
POR
Artist Bio
“I do not intend to create something avant-garde in the Bizen style. My works are always functional, and I create “crafts” that are indispensable for everyday life. I think it important that professional potters should create something in response to the needs of our society. My preference is to be seen as a craftsman whose work is avant-garde, rather than an avant-garde artist”
-Honoho geijutsu, no.67. Abe Shuppan, 2001: pp. 16-17
Kakurezaki Ryiuichi is highly celebrated artist whose exhibitions in Japan often sell out within minutes of opening. Kakurezaki was born in Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, and now lives and works in Imbe, the ancient home of Bizen ware. He has the advantage of being viewed as an outsider in Imbe, which allows him to experiment in ways that most of the other 500 potters working there cannot. While he works within the tradition of Bizen, his work is quite aesthetically different from conventional Bizen wares. His fresh and independent vision has inspired other potters to contend with classical forms, and has already established a standard of his own.
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1950 Born in Fukue, Nagasaki
1973 Graduated from Osaka University of Art
1985 Guest artist, Skidmore College, New York
1990 Became an official member of Japan Craft Association
1991 Featured on TV program, Studio Visit “Tsukuru (create)” by NHK
1996 Commissioned wall piece, a health facility Picasso, Kanazawa
1999 Lecturer, Shigaraki Ceramic Park Museum, Shiga
2005 Guest artist at master’s workshop at Harvard University
2006 Guest lecturer at “Ceramics at Harvard” “Bizen: Generational and Cultural Crossover”
Awards:
1982 Sanyô Newspaper Prize, Okayama Prefecture Art Exhibition
(also in 1989)
1985 Guest Instructor at Skidmore College, New York
1986 Issui Prize at the 48th Issui Ceramic Art Exhibition (also in 1990)
1988 Grand Prize, the Fifth Contemporary Tea Ceremony Utensils Exhibition, Tanabe Museum (also in 1993)
1989 '89 Prize, the 1st Ceramic Arts Bienniale
1993 Encouragement Award, Containers for Flowers Exhibition, the Sôgetsukai
1995 Grand Prize, the 8th MOA Okada Mokichi Award
1996 The Japan Ceramics Association Award
1997 Sanyô Newspaper Grand Prize, the 48th Okayama Prefectural Exhibition
2008 Excellent Prize, the 2nd “Ceramics for Tea Ceremony” Exhibition, Tomo Musée, Tokyo
2009 “Kaneshige Tôyô” prize, Japan Traditional Craft Competition in Chugoku area
Solo exhibitions:
1990 Tenmaya, Okayama
Kuroda Tôen, Ginza, Tokyo (also in 1992, 1996)
1992 Mitsukoshi Department Store Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo
1993 Tea Utensils & Flower vases, Mitsukoshi Department Store Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo
1994 World of Fire, Mitsukoshi Department Store Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo
1995 Moon Spot, Akasaka Green Gallery, Tokyo
Nakamura Kôkodô Gallery, Tokyo
1996 Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd., New York
1997 Kandori, Tokyo
Kôbô Ikuko, Kurashiki (also in '01)
1998 Akasaka Green Gallery, Tokyo
Nakamura Kôkodô Gallery, Tokyo
The Work of Kakurezaki Ryûichi, Itami Municipal Craft Center, Wakayama
2000 Tora, Tora, Tora, Kandori, Tokyo
2001 Matsuzakaya Department Store Gallery, Nagoya
Nakamura Kôkodô Gallery, Tokyo
2003 Shin'in, Mitsukoshi Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo
2004 Tenmanya, Okayama
2007 Solo show with Joan B. Mirviss LTD held at the International
Asian Art Fair, New York
2008 Nakamura Kouko-do Gallery, Tokyo
Group exhibitions:
1990 Government exhibition space, International Garden and Greenery Expo,
Osaka
Heisei Ceramic Arts: Tour d’horizon and Prospects, Part I
1991 The Young Pioneers in Ceramic Arts Exhibition, Itami Municipal Craft
Center, Wakayama
1992 Contemporary Ceramic Arts of Sanyô San’in Areas Exhibition II, Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
Japanese Ceramic Arts Now: 100 Selected Works, a travel exhibition to Paris and throughout Japan, sponsored by NHK
1994 The Young Pioneers in Ceramic Arts Exhibition II, Itami Municipal Craft Center, Wakayama
1995 Invited to ‘95 Kanazawa Craft Grand Prix Competition, Kanazawa
Ceramics Today – Ceramics that Communicate, Takashimaya Department Store Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo; Takashimaya Department Store Gallery, Kyoto
1996 Contemporary Ceramic Arts of Sanyô San’in Areas Exhibition III, Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
Masterpieces of Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Exhibition, a travel exhibition to China, Thailand and Malaysia, organized by the International Culture Association
1997 Bizen Ware – A Thousand Years of Traditional Beauty, National Ceramic Museum, France
1999 Invited participant to the 1999 International Woodfire Conference, Iowa
Ceramic Hunt Exhibition, Takashimaya Department Store Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo
2000 Invited to Tea Ceremony: Contemporary Forms, Helsinki Museum, Finland
Invited to Views of Contemporary Artists: Art Wave Okayama Chûô Exhibition, Okayama Culture Center, Okayama
Contemporary Ceramic Arts of Sanyô San’in Areas Exhibition IV, Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
2002 Invited to International Asia-Pacific Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition, Taipei Ceramic Art Museum, Taiwan
The Legacy of Modern Ceramic Art, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
2003 Contemporary Master Ceramists of Western Japan, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Ibaraki
Japanese Ceramics Today, Part I, Musee Tomo, Tokyo
Contemporary Japanese Ceramics: Acceptance and Emittance, Tokyo Prefectural Garden Museum, Tokyo
2004 Contemporary Ceramic Arts of Sanyô San’in Areas Exhibition V, Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
Captivation of Bizen Ware: Non-glazed Stoneware, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Ibaraki
2005 Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2006 Generational Crossroads/ Bizen Evolution, Lacoste Gallery, Concord MA
2009 “Mirai no takaramono; The Future's Treasures”, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihonbashi, Osaka, Shinjuku, Kyoto
2010 The 21st Century Exhibition of Japanese Art, Tokyo Bijutsu Club (traveled to Kyoto, Kanazawa, Toyama and Osaka)
Third Musée Tomo Prize, Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony- Free Creativity, Musée Tomo, Tokyo
2011 Pioneers of Contemporary Ceramics-- from Tomimoto Kenichi to Yagi Kazuo, Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo
Gold Award Winners from Japan Ceramic Society, Wako Hall, Tokyo
Selected Public Collections:
Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI
Everson Museum of Art, New York, NY
Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN
Musée Tomo, Tokyo
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Sèvres National Ceramic Museum, France
Tanabe Museum
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
References:
Toh; Kakurezaki Ryûichi, vol. 84, Kyoto: Kyoto Shoin, 1993
“Kakurezaki Ryûichi: Our Ceramic Artists II [40th Anniversary Commemorative feature 4],” Honoho Geijutsu, no. 41, Tokyo: Abe Shuppan, 1995, pp.14- 17, pp. 42-43
“The New Age of Bizen” in Honoho Geijutsu, no. 67. Tokyo: Abe Shuppan, 2001: pp.12-19.
“ Kakurezaki Ryûichi: 9 contemporary potters chosen by Hayashiya Seizo,” Waraku, no.12, 2001, pp. 78- 81
Joe Earle, Contemporary Clay : Japanese Ceramics for the New Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2005, pp. 92-95
Wege zur Japanischen Keramik: Tradition in der Gegenwart, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst zu Berlin, 2005
Nihon Tôgei-ten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition 2007), Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun, 2007: pp. 31
Nihon Tôgei-ten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition 2009), Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun, 2009: pp. 33
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