SHAKEN NOT STIRRED

Mining the very depth of playfulness, which is at the heart of the Oribe origins, Ikeda Shogo (b.1976) is equally at home with clay and potters wheel as he is with a brush and his wonderful designs which he has shaken up just a bit. This particular Narumi-Oribe style chawan is well thrown and the painted imagery which includes traditional devices as well as written English, trucks, cows and even a light bulb captures the essence of what is Oribe in modern times. His work is delightfully functional and at times visually provocative engaging the viewer and acting as both invitiation and inquisition regarding how and what we think of modern chadogu. Despite growing up in Kagoshima, Ikeda specializes in a variety of Oribe styles and what is readily apparent is that despite where he was born or works, he has grasped the very heart of this modern tradition and bent it to fit his own vision.