Tsubusa Kato, whose work features sharp forms inspired by slip casting and gradations in the glaze of pale blue porcelain; and Kentaro Kawabata, whose organic style employs porcelain clay with colors from glass fragments and glaze. This exhibition focuses on representative works from the 2000s by the two artists.

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MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY is pleased to present “Exhibition of Two Extraordinary Talents”, featuring Tsubusa Kato and Kentaro Kawabata, in cooperation with Okashorin (gallery) in Nagano, Japan. This exhibition stems from Okashorin’s Mr Sakurai seeing Kato in the early 2000s, and being profoundly impressed by his innovative porcelain works. Subsequently, Mr Sakurai held a solo exhibition for Kawabata, who had previously been Kato’s assistant at Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in Gifu, showcasing works from the same period as “Spoon” (2007). This exhibition revisits the special encounter while presenting works from the period when both artists established their unique expression and began to exert a significant influence on the contemporary ceramics in Japan. We hope you savor the energy emanating from approximately 30 exquisite pieces, including four representative ones from the dawn of the two “extraordinary talents”.

 

Tsubusa Kato passed away in 2025. We offer our sincere prayers for his eternal rest.

 

Tsubusa Kato (1962-2025) graduated from Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979. He became independent after working as a pottery painter. He participated in the excavation of Amagane Kiln in Tajimi City and worked for its preservation in 1986. Kato exhibited at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo in 1996 and held a solo exhibition in New York City in 2006. Kato’s works are characterized by sharply sculpted forms, created with a knife, and a glaze reminiscent of the sky – a translucent, pale blue porcelain. The 2000s saw numerous ambitious works that challenged the plasticity of porcelain clay, radiating a powerful individuality that foreshadowed his subsequent expression. His rare sculptural sensibility, capturing the fleeting beauty within movement, is said to be inspired by the slip-casting of tableware made in Mino. Works created through the improvisational stretching and tearing of clay, glazed and fired, possess both a mineral-like rawness and elegance, while conveying a deep understanding and respect for the materials.

 

Kentaro Kawabata (1976-) graduated from Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in 2000, and currently maintains his kiln in Mizunami City, Gifu. Alongside exhibitions in Japan, he has expanded his activities internationally, including a solo exhibition in Los Angeles in 2018 and a group exhibition in Venice, Italy in 2024. The appeal of his work lies in the organic forms of porcelain clay, demanding high skills, combined with ingenious use of glazes and diverse materials. Notably, his 2007 Paramita Ceramics Grand Prize-winning series “Spoon” and other works demonstrate bold experimentation transcending ceramic boundaries. These pieces involve weaving techniques of clay, combining crushed glass fragments, stones, and metallic glazes. The delicate forms where cinnabar red seeps into the white porcelain skin, with the decorative elements applied to the folds and joints, possess a sensual beauty reminiscent of the human body.

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