Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century

Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century was a vibrant survey featuring creative and iconoclastic works by the finest potters working in Japan today. Including numerous objects created by artists working in Japan’s medieval ceramic centers as well as works by those influenced by the avant-garde Sodeisha group, Contemporary Clay celebrated the rich history of Japanese ceramics and those who have made lasting contributions to the art form over the past half century. Through a kaleidoscope of colors, forms, glazes, textures, and sizes, pieces ranged from finely crafted porcelains to rough-hewn vessels that revel in the “happy accidents” of wood-fired kilns, and to ironic objects that mimic newspapers, discarded trash, and body parts.

Originally organized and presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Japan Society’s showing of Contemporary Clay featured approximately 100 works by 40 artists, with added pieces from New York museum and private collections. The exhibition was curated by Joe Earle, the MFA’s Matsutaro Shoriki Chair of the Department of Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Support for the exhibition was provided by the Leadership Committee for Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century.

Exhibitions at Japan Society are made possible in part by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and Japan Society’s Friends of the Gallery. Installations at Japan Society Gallery are supported by a generous gift from Henry Cornell.