Friday, May 11, 2018

OBJECT

I am not sure when I first saw one of these Bizen sculpture by Kaneshige Kosuke but I am sure it was in the very early 90s. My interests and collecting mostly revolve around rather functional pieces, especially those used for tea ceremony but for some reason I was instantly drawn to this series of work. As I look at them, my thoughts consider things elemental and primal making the Bizen firing a perfect choice for such pieces. The areas of ash, dryness and wet surfaces combine to reflect light and set mood in a variety of ways depending on one's vantage point making for an "object" that is constantly morphing and evolving as the form may possible suggest as well. I used to have a photo, taken with actually film mind you from and exhibit I saw in Japan with a similar piece flanked by a chawan on one side and a mizusashi on the other, to this day I am still struck by how natural and symbiotic the arrangement was then as much as it is in my memory today.