I have picked up this Japanese ceramic artist, Yo Akiyama whose works have been introduced as sculptural abstraction of post modernism. His work is profound in its size, conception and forms, all created with the theme of disintegration in nature and how life returns to clay.
This is one of his works titled "Oscillation" (h; 95.9cm l; 6.32m d; 1.08m) created in 1995. According to Akiyama, in each crack are subtle differences in character, when these personalities gather and interact with one another, the result is a body that "oscillates". Oscillation is the essence of energy.
When the work was created in 1995, many tragic occurrences and historical progress happened int the world. This anarchy seems to be representative of post modern notion.
Meanwhile in Japan, the sarin gas attack in Tokyo subway killed 13 people, injured 50, and sickened 6300 people by the cult group. It was the most serious attack occured in Japan since the end of WW2.
Two months before the domestic terrorism, one of the biggest earthquake hit the middle pat of Japan. Around 6500 were killed and over 40000 were injured. This was the Japan's worst earthquake since the Kanto earthquake which claimed 140000 lives in 1923.
As you can see, Japan situates on several boundaries of different 4 plates. No matter how serious it is, an occurrence of earthquake is reported every day somewhere in Japan.
As well as earthquakes, eruptions are also fearful natural disaster in japan. In 1991, Mt, Unzen-fugen erupted and the activity had continued until 1995. These earthquake and eruption are associated with the word, "oscillation" and "energy".
Looking at Japanese art scene, American art and architecture influenced Japan after the end of WW2. These TBWA Chiat Day were built by Frank Owen Gehry and Claes oldenburg in Los Angeles, 1991 after Akiyama started working with clay.
In the 1950's and 1960's when Akiyama grew up, Japan's artistic avant-garde originated the internationally influential "Gutai group" which included various post war genres such as performance art, conceptual art, and wearable art. This work was created by Shozo Shimamoto who is one of the primary Gutai member (Untitled, mixed media on board, 1961).
Shimamoto is still working as a avant-garde artist and mainly doing performing art now. In 2006, he dropped colours from a crane on a 10 x 10m canvas. On this occasion, the avant-garde pianist, Charlemagne Palestine, did a great concert accompanying Shimamoto's movement with misic.
Shimamoto and akiyama are lecturers of an university on Kyoto, Japan. In the past, Kyoto used to be the centre of politics and culture and now, Kyoto has been one of the centre of innovative art and movement since "Sodeisha group" formed in 1948.
Before WW2, ceramic art was all practical. However, a dissatisfaction was rampant among many of the young artistic communities and "Sodeisha" created the first ceramic object art in Kyoto.
Member of Sodeisha were interested in renovation, provocation, and challenging themselves. It is not clear that Akiyama was a member of Sodeisha, but he was involved Sodeisha exhibition in 1976. This (A distant horse, 1977) was made by Osamu Suzuki who is a primary member of Sodeisha.
Akiyama uses Kokuto for his work. In the Neolithic Age, Kokuto appeared in china and now, it can be seen in some parts of Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. This is the way that clay will be adhered with carbon particles of soot by heating at lower temperature and no glaze.
Before putting works into a kiln, he fractures the surface of one of his pieces by applying a pair pf blow torches to clay. This means finding the clay's true voice or natural characteristic and letting it come to the surface.
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