March 20, 2019—A new exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) highlights recent work by more than a dozen living Japanese women clay artists who evoke or respond to the natural world in diverse ways, some traditional, others wholly novel. “Living Clay: Artists Respond to Nature” presents primarily nonfunctional ceramic works inspired by everything from cells and mold spores to snails and leaves. Exploring themes ranging from floral surface decoration to natural disaster, these works are displayed in conversation with contemporary Japanese artworks in other media, such as woodblock prints, textiles, and painting – with nearly all of the artworks being shown for the first time. “Living Clay” is on view March 23 through December 8, 2019.
“Living Clay” features ceramic works by artists Nakaigawa Yuki, Katsumata Chieko, Tokumaru Kyoko, Futamura Yoshimi, Kishi Eiko, Mishima Kimiyo, Tokuda Yasokichi IV, Fujikasa Satoko, Inaba Chikako, and Mori Aya, among others. This group of ceramic artists runs the gamut from the very well established and world recognized to the emerging. Additional non-ceramic works by Kusama Yayoi, Sudo Reiko, and Shinoda Toko are also displayed.
The majority of the works on view are drawn from Mia’s permanent collection, along with a portion on loan from Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, whose collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics is regarded as one of the finest in the United States.
