Sydney Update, Upcoming Kako Exhibition

Be very excited. Mihara Ken will be coming to Sydney in November 2013.

I just returned from Sydney, where my wife and I had a great time with our baby daughter Kii. Kii's a year and 7 months old, and really digged the koalas at Taronga Zoo, along with Hyde Park and the amazing playground at Darling Harbour.



It was her first time outside of Japan, but incredibly, she seemed unfazed by the air travel. Perhaps she takes after me and my relative invulnerability towards jet lag. In any case, I hadn't been to Sydney in nearly 15 years, but it was paradise, and far more beautiful than I could remember. Lush parks, friendly people, pristine beaches, gentle weather, all within a very modern city with eye-catching architecture, both new and old.

What also struck me was the overall mood of the city, which was so utterly positive. I travel outside of Japan at least once a month, and I think I have a good grasp of some of the major cities throughout the world. Yet Sydney oozed a different vibe, far more exciting than sober Singapore or roudy Shanghai. It seemed to me like a metropolis of the future, where East meets West in peaceful coexistence. I mention "East" for the fact that the Asian population was tremendous, prosperous, and vibrant.

Great place, Sydney. And yes, we will be having an exhibition at a contemporary art gallery that has only shown one ceramic artist in all of its existence. For me, it's doubly gratifying to think that Mihara-san's works can resonate with an audience (and a gallery owner) who predominantly enjoy what we refer to as "fine art." In other words, the lines are further blurring between ceramic art, traditionally delegated to the clunky and misleading term "craft," and fine art, which in the past few decades seem to rely less and less on actual artistic technique and more so on concepts i.e gimmicks (although I must admit I do enjoy gimmicks from time to time, albeit when they are founded on something far more substantial!)

I do have a feeling that art and craft will surely converge. Or collide. Look at Japanese art history, and you'll find that there probably is no real difference between the two. Western terminologies may melt away and subside to Eastern conceptions. Or perhaps it should be said that even East and West will join hands in not only cultural but aesthetic harmony. Sydney may be a case in point.



In any case, unfortunately I'm not yet revealing the name of the gallery until a few more months down the road. Yet I have a feeling that this Mihara show will mark a new turning point in the artist's career, which has really taken off in the past 4 years. Please stay tuned for more updates on this show as details solidify.

On a different note, next Thursday (17th of November) finds Yufuku holding its first solo exhibition of the works of Kako Katsumi. I just chose about 17 pieces, and we'll be showing about 4 to 5 chawan as well. Overall, I'm very happy with the quality of works that Kako-san had created for his Yufuku debut - there is one form in particular which I think may become a Kako classic. Please be on the lookout for his works at the Yufuku homepage next week, as well as video content and other details on our facebook page.

Next week, I hope to include more insights on our Kako exhibition. Until then, I wish you a very pleasant weekend from Tokyo.

From eastern skies,

Wahei Aoyama 青山和平
Yufuku Gallery