Kondō Takahiro: Making Waves
Joan B Mirviss LTD
Asia Week New York | March 16-25, 2022
Gallery exhibition through April 2022
Please contact us at director@mirviss.com or 212-799-4021 if you would like to schedule your visit in advance. An appointment is not required.
We request to see proof of vaccination
Face masks are recommended for all visitors to the gallery
We look forward to seeing you in person!
After six years of planning, acclaimed contemporary artist Kondō Takahiro presents his latest solo exhibition at Joan B Mirviss LTD this spring for Asia Week New York. These thirty new sculptures in swirling whirlpools of black, gray, and white marbleized porcelain glisten with 'silver mist' that resembles morning dew. His signature gintekisai (silver mist) overglaze technique finds new expression here as he plays with scale in striking geometric forms that catch light from daring angles. In a departure from his earlier "Wave" artworks, Kondō incorporates a whiter clay into his marbleization (nerikomi) technique. Its combination with the darker clay that seemingly flows down the surfaces creates an ink-on-paper effect, transforming his sculptures into what he calls "porcelain ink paintings". From major zig-zagging rhomboidal monoliths to glass-capped vessels to wondrous teabowls, the incomparable skill and singular creativity of master artist Kondō Takahiro is on full display in MAKING WAVES.
As an artist, Kondō Takahiro (b. 1958) has always been focused on water, especially as a life-giving and spiritual force. However, following the devastating 3.11 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Kondō gained new perspective on the dichotomy of water's creative and destructive powers. Reflecting on the many aspects of water since then, Kondō has returned in MAKING WAVES to this inherent tension. On some of his smaller table-top forms, the blending of the clay in pooling thin layers of gray and black, set against the white ground, conjures gentle, lapping tides. On larger sculptures, the swirling layers plummet downwards, evoking powerful rapids and crashing waterfalls; additionally, the capping or angled joining of large porcelain sections with clear and black cast-glass punctuated with air bubbles suggest floating seaweed.
Reimagining clay's relationship to another classical art form, ink painting, Kondō finds resonance in their shared origins in water. His new, extensive use of white clay enhances the contrast with the darker clay elements, and in so doing, heightens the artist’s own understanding of the 'shape' of water: "The process of creating these sculptures made me more aware of how water, waves, and waterfalls flow. By incorporating a whiter clay, my work has evolved and been elevated. I feel that I have expressed the subtle and profound beauty of ink painting without using a brush, but by using clay." (Kondō Takahiro)
"The process of creating these sculptures made me more aware of how water, waves, and waterfalls flow. By incorporating a whiter clay, my work has evolved and been elevated. I feel that I have expressed the subtle and profound beauty of ink painting without using a brush, but by using clay."
- Kondō Takahiro
These planes of 'porcelain ink painting' joined at gravity-defying angles proved so difficult a technical feat that he insists that there will be no others in the future. Kondō considers this presentation of his "Wave" sculptures to be the culmination of his decades-long ginteki (silver mist) exploration. By bringing together beads of mist and surging waves in differing and endlessly evocative surfaces, he has captured the contradictions of water, held in breathtaking suspension.
Descended from a line of sometsuke (blue-and-white porcelain) masters based in Kyoto, Kondō Takahiro expanded upon the family tradition and quickly found his own style, one that draws from the past while constantly challenging himself on the path to further discovery. In 2020, his innovative artistry was awarded the prestigious Kyoto Art and Culture prize. Kondō has received several international awards and has been featured in exhibitions on five continents. Recently, his works have been featured in museum exhibitions in Toronto and Paris and has toured across the US in "Hands & Earth," gracing the catalogue’s cover.
Joan B Mirviss has represented Kondō Takahiro for over twenty years and has placed major works in important museum collections, including: Asian Art Museum, CA; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Brooklyn Museum, NY; Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN; Musée national des arts asiatiques-GUIMET, Paris, France; and the Seattle Art Museum, WA, to name just a very few.
Displayed alongside Kondō Takahiro's latest works will be stunning ink paintings by Chinese artist and rising star Bingyi (b. 1975). For more information, click here
ABOUT JOAN B MIRVISS LTD
With more than forty-five years of experience, Joan B. Mirviss remains a pillar in the field of Japanese art. As a dealer, scholar, curator, and advisor, she has been the driving force championing the top Japanese clay artists, who she represents exclusively, and whose works she has placed in major museums around the globe. Widely published as a highly respected expert, Mirviss has built many institutional and private collections of Japanese art.
JOAN B MIRVISS LTD exhibits modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics, ukiyo-e, and Japanese paintings from its exclusive Madison Avenue location in New York City.
For more information, please contact us at 212-799-4021 or director@mirviss.com.
The artist's exhibition at Joan B Mirviss LTD this spring was reviewed in Gallery & Studio's print and online issues
The Exposure section of the April 2022 issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine features Kondō Takahiro's stunning marbleized porcelain teabowls. In both print and online editions.
“Asia Week New York is extremely delighted to welcome back collectors, curators and Asian art enthusiasts with an exciting calendar of in-person activities at the galleries and auction houses,” said chairman Dessa Goddard.
The Asia Week New York segment on NBC News 4 New York featured Kondō Takahiro's latest sculptures at Joan B Mirviss LTD
After six years of planning, acclaimed contemporary artist Kondō Takahiro presents his latest solo exhibition at Joan B Mirviss LTD this spring for Asia Week New York.
Joan B Mirviss LTD presents "Kondō Takahiro: Making Waves" for Asia Week New York at 39 East 78th Street (Madison Ave), 4th floor, New York. Shown alongside Kondō's daring sculptures are ink paintings by artist Bingyi titled, "Land of Immortals."
"Whether you are a local New Yorker, visiting for the event, or a remote enthusiast, read on for a glimpse of the treasures that Asia Week brings to light."
La galería neoyorquina Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., presenta en la Asia Week New York, del 16 al 25 de marzo la exposición dedicada a la obra del artista japones Kondō Takahiro.
The Japanese language publication Yomitime features Kondō Takahiro's show, Making Waves, in their latest issue
When Asia Week New York launches its nine-day extravaganza of exhibitions, auctions and museum shows on March 16th, almost half of the top-tier galleries will present a stunning array of contemporary paintings, prints, ink paintings, ceramics, bamboo sculpture, and photography.
Kondō Takahiro's latest exhibition at Joan B Mirviss LTD, MAKING WAVES, will feature all new works in marbleized porcelain and his signature "silver mist" overglaze.
Big deals in the Big Apple for Asia Week New York. -Antiques Trade Gazette
"Joan B. Mirviss will dedicate a solo show to Takahiro Kondo, whose clay vessels are decorated with his signature gintekisai, or 'silver mist', overglaze in which ink appears to swirl and pool over the surface."
