Mihara Ken

1958 Born in Shimane Prefecture
1981-82 Studied with Funaki Kenji
1999 Featured in NHK program, Yakimono tanbô [Visiting Pottery].
2000 Public Commission, Ceramic Wall Installation at Sankei Building, Tokyo (also 2002)
2003 Book Ceramic Art of MIHARA Ken in the Four Seasons of Izumo published by
Coherence, Inc.


Awards:

1985 Shimane Prefecture Craft Arts Association Prize
1986 Entry to San-in Craft Arts Exhibition
1988 Governor’s prize, Japan Traditional Arts and Crafts Chûgoku division (also 1993)
Entry to Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition
1989 Entry to Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition
1991 Entry to the Chôza Award Ceramic Exhibition
Entry to the Exhibition of Unglazed Ceramic Competition
1992 Incentive Prize, Arts of the Tea Ceremony Exhibition, Tanabe Museum, Shimane (also in 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Entry to International Ceramics Festival Mino, Gifu
1995 Award of Excellence, Arts of the Tea Ceremony Exhibition, Tanabe Museum, Shimane (also in 2005, 2006)
Award of Excellence, Vessels for Bonsai Exhibition
1996 Grand Prize, Hana-no-sumika Exhibition, Daimaru Museum, Tokyo
Entry to the Tankô Biennale, Tea-ware Museum, Kyoto (also 1998)
Entry to the Flower Vessel Biennale, The Sôgetsu Museum, Tokyo
2001 Grand Prize, Arts of the Tea Ceremony Exhibition, Tanabe Museum, Shimane (also in 2008)
2002 Energia Art Award
2005 Grant to study in Italy from Musée Tomo
2006 Award, Paramita Ceramics Competition, Paramita Museum, Japan
Grand Prize, Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony Exhibition, Musée Tomo, Tokyo
2008 Japan Ceramic Society Prize
2009 Cultural Encouragement Award, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan



Group Exhibitions:

1986 San-in Craft Arts Exhibition (also 1987, 1988)
1988 Japan Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Chûgoku division (also 1993)
Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition (also 1990, 1991, 1994)
1989 Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (also 1991, 1995)
1991 Chôza Award Ceramic Exhibition
Exhibition of Unglazed Ceramic Competition (also 1994, 1997)
1992 “Arts of the Tea Ceremony”, The Tanabe Museum of Art, Matsue city, Shimane (also 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
Entry to International Ceramics Festival Mino, Gifu
1993 Ceramics Biennale
1995 Vessels for Bonsai Exhibition
1996 “Hana-no-sumika”, Daimaru Museum, Tokyo
Tankô Biennale, Tea-ware Museum, Kyoto (also 1998)
Flower Vessel Biennale, The Sôgetsu Museum, Tokyo
2000 Asahi Contemporary Crafts Exhibition
“The Japanese Art of Tea–– Modern Teaware from the Collection of the Tanabe Museum” Helsinki City Art Museum, Finland
2002 International Asia-Pacific Contemporary Ceramics, Taipei Yingko Ceramics
Museum, Taiwan
“Tea, Zen, Ceramics-The International Living Pottery Art of Taiwan, Japan and Korea”,
Fo Kuang Yuan Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
“The Legacy of Modern Ceramic Art,” Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
2004 “Contemporary Ceramics of Sanyô and Sanin”, Higashi-Hiroshima City Museum
2005 Wege zur Japanischen Keramik: Tradition in der Gegenwart, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst zu Berlin
2006 “Ceramic Art Grand Prize Exhibition”, Paramita Museum
“Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony, Free Creativity and Atypical Usage,” Musée Tomo, Tokyo
Asian Ceramic Delta-Japan, Korean and Taiwan
2007 “Invitation to the World of Contemporary Ceramic,” Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo
2008 “Collect: the International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects,” Victoria and Albert Museum, London
2009 “Collect: the International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects,” Saatchi Gallery, London “Breaking from Tradition Japanese Ceramics Today”, Harvey/Meadows Gallery, Aspen in conjunction with Joan B. Mirviss, LTD., New York
“Mirai no takaramono; The Future's Treasures”, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihonbashi, Osaka, Shinjuku, Kyoto
2010 The 10th 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
Collect Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, London
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





Solo Exhibitions:

1989 Gallerie Pousse, Ginza (1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004)
1993 Nanba Takashimaya Gallery, Osaka (1995, 1997)
1995 Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Gallery, Tokyo
1997 Yufuku Gallery, Tokyo (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011)
2001 Shukokan Museum, Shimane
2002 Aso Bijutsu, Tokyo (2004)
Ichibata Art Gallery, Matsue, Shimane prefecture
2003 Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka
Takashimaya Art Gallery, Yonago, Tottori Prefecture
Art Salon Kôgen, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
2008 Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. at SOFA New York, New York City
2009 “Ho” Aso Bijyutsu, Ginza, Tokyo
2010 Utsuwa Nanohana Gallery, Odawara, Kanagawa
Galeire Besson, London


Selected Public Collections:

East Hiroshima City Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo
Museum of Modern Ceramics, Tajimi, Gifu
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
New Orleans Museum of Art
Peabody Essex Museum
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Sankei Building, Tokyo
Takagi Bonsai Art Museum, Tokyo
Tanabe Art Museum, Shimane
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Yale University Art gallery

References:

Exhibition Catalogue: Nihon Tôgei-ten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition 2007), Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun, 2007: p. 45

Enomoto, Toru, Aoyama, T. et. al.. “Izumo fû doki” (Ceramic Art of Mihara Ken in the Four Seasons in Izumo), Coherence, Co., 2003.

Wege zur Japanischen Keramik: Tradition in der Gegenwart, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst zu Berlin, 2005

Nihon Tôgei-ten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition 2009), Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun, 2009: pp. 49

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