photo: WATANABE Osamu
White Raku Tea Bowl ”Colorado Raku Clay
| Artist | OHI Chozaemon XI (Toshio) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
| Material/ Technique | Ceramic Raku, Corolado White Raku Clay, White Raku Glaze |
| Size/ Duration | H7.3 × W15.5 × D15cm |
| Copyright Notice | © OHI Chozaemon XI (Toshio) |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2012 |
| Description | Born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan in 1958. Lives and works there. Ohi Chozaemon XI is a ceramist who creates as an individual artist. He is, at the same time, a potter born into the traditional Ohi family, a ceramic dynasty having a history of 350 years. The Ohi ware kiln – the only branch kiln (‘wakigama’) of Raku ware – has always produced tea-bowls for use in tea ceremonies. For Ohi, creating tea-bowls is a matter of thinking about the beauty of ceramics in the context of its relationship with tea. Meanwhile, as an individual artist, he also works in the wide-open field of art-oriented ‘kogei’ (craft). In recent years, he is gradually narrowing the distance between these two attitudes, traditional and contemporary. During his travels, he produces ceramics works using local clay at places visited en route. In 2013, he embarked on a project of investigating clay from near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station – both radiated and non-radiated samples – and creating works from clay found to be at the very borderline of being safe. These are pieces from the “diary using ceramics” that Ohi is creating as a lifelong project. Raku ware uses primitive methods: it is hand-formed and fired at low heat. Giving play to these characteristics, he travels the world, forming and firing tea-bowls using local clays. This particular work is, therefore, like a page from his continual firing of ceramics in the manner of keeping a diary. When firing, he often works alone, but he also frequently fires with others, and such times are occasions for the once-in-a-lifetime encounters with people that make traveling so rewarding. Ohi’s work is distinguished by its open, casual character – the result of his talking and sharing experiences with others. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.