Kawase Shinobu: Mastery of Celadon

KAWASE SHINOBU
Mastery of Celadon
Opening November 3, 2021

After a half century in the field, Kawase Shinobu is now regarded as Japan’s most outstanding artist working within the ancient tradition of celadon. In this latest dazzling body of work, Kawase moves beyond the ancient Song Dynasty models and showcases his brilliance on the wheel, paired with an unrivaled command of celadon glazes in a range of luscious and delightfully surprising colors. Having represented Kawase for decades, and witnessed his development and artistic growth, Joan B Mirviss LTD is thrilled to present thirty-five works that he created for his latest show that irrefutably declares his mastery of celadon. 

Known as seiji-sensei or "Master of Celadon" in Japan, and with a comparably devoted international following, Kawase Shinobu (b. 1950) stands apart as an artist honoring the historic precedents of celadon while pushing its limits beyond any other living artist in the medium. Flawlessly elegant, his works have an easy perfection that belie the formidable challenges of a notoriously difficult firing and glazing process. He has captivated a worldwide audience with his successful fusion of contemporary forms and ancient techniques in precise, jewel-like vessels astounding to behold.   

For this exhibition, Kawase frames his illustrious career in four parts that mirrors the structure of Chinese poetry: Introduction, Development, Turn, and Conclusion (kishōtenketsu). During the Introduction phase when he met Joan Mirviss nearly forty years ago, he sought to emulate the classical forms and styles of the Song Dynasty; the subsequent Development phase was marked by a creative restlessness in which he looked to Nature for inspiration, and the resulting works played with asymmetry in form.

This exhibition features works from what Kawase deems his Turn and Conclusion phases, presenting teabowls and incense burners in brilliant colors alongside his recent work in classic celadon seiji (blue). The Turn phase was defined by color, a world he entered on the occasion of a specially commissioned birthday present for Joan in red celadon. Though never having created such a work before, he succeeded after a great struggle, sparking a new approach to his art. His exploration into a vast array of original colors, including his signature "kingfisher celadon," culminated in his enji works, a lychee-inspired blush celadon that merges red and green in a seamless gradient reminiscent of ripening apples.

As a fully mature artist, Kawase is satisfied with his foray into color, a world that he was tempted by, luxuriated in, and has now come full circle to his beginnings. His Conclusion phase is defined by refraining from excessive ornamentation. Seven years in the making, and eagerly anticipated by collectors and curators worldwide, this exhibition therefore not only looks back at the artistic journey of a master but also looks forward to what these works will reveal in the sure hand of an artist confident in his experience and perspective.

Kawase Shinobu’s works are in the permanent collections of more than twenty major Western museums across the globe, including: the Art Institute of Chicago, IL; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN; St. Louis Art Museum, MO; Royal Ontario Museum, Canada; and the British Museum, UK, in addition to those in Asia. He has earned many important awards, such as the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Award, its youngest ever recipient at the age of thirty, and their Gold Prize lifetime achievement award in 2014.