TAKURO KUWATA
DANCING UDON
December 8th, 2022 - February 28th, 2023
THE GALLERY is delighted to announce Dancing Udon, an exhibition by artist Takuro Kuwata (born Hiroshima, 1981). Kuwata is known for expanding the possibilities of ceramics, as an art form, and as a functional object.
A collection of porcelain cups by the artist will be on display and on use at our main art space, where guests can order udon noodles served in his handmade cups. THE GALLERY’s owner/chef Hiroki Odo will create three special udon dishes accompany Kuwata’s show. These udon dishes will be available throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition is curated by Akiko Ichikawa and presented in collaboration with Salon 94 Design.
Takuro Kuwata
Born in 1981 in Hiroshima, Kuwata lives in Gifu. He received degrees from Kyoto Saga University of Arts (2001) and Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center (2007), and apprenticed under master ceramicist Susumu Zaima. He found early inspiration in the work of Toyozo Arakawa. Recently, Kuwata’s work featured in The Flames: The Age of Ceramics at Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and CHATO at Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum (both 2021). He has exhibited extensively throughout Japan, including in Japanese Kogei | Future Forward at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2015; traveled to Museum of Art and Design, New York). In 2018, he was a finalist for the Loewe Craft Prize, and in 2020 he collaborated with Jonathan Anderson on Loewe’s womenswear show. Kuwata’s work resides in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rubell Family Collection, Miami; Takahashi Collection, Tokyo; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor; Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among others.
Culinary
Kaminabe Udon
A collection of porcelain cups by the artist will be on display and on use at our main art space, where guests can order udon noodles served in his handmade cups. Chef Hiroki Odo will create three special udon dishes accompany Kuwata’s show.
STORY BEHIND OUR COLLABORATION
As his sculptures had been getting larger, Kuwata had to find a way to scale up the production of his thick and gooey signature glaze. He found the solution in an udon dough mixer, which he repurposed for his needs. Since this eureka moment, the artist has purchased several mixers which are used for both making art and food. Kuwata has been hosting small parties to entertain friends and studio visitors with handmade udon noodle. This new tradition of sharing udon has tied together a small community around his studio over the years. Chef Odo’s team touched by this coming together of art and food cultures invited Kuwata for an exhibition
THE CUPS
The collection of cups on display has been developed since Kuwata moved to Tajimi in early 2000’s. Situated in the Gifu Prefecture, not far from Nagoya, Tajimi is one of the hearts of Japanese ceramic tradition and retains techniques dating back to 1300 years ago. Traditional Japanese culinary wares are rooted in the tea ceremony tradition and tableware are still based in this culture. Items like yunomi (everyday teacups), rice bowls, chopsticks, traditionally, these items belong to an individual and are not shareable with others, even family members. Ownership of tableware has been very important for Japanese to establish their identities and individualities. Kuwata hopes everyone can find their own cup at the exhibition during their visit and enjoy using it in daily life.
THE GALLERY is presenting 2 series of cups, the STRIPES and the DRIPS. Both are very minimalistic shape decorated with unique cheerful glazing, perfect for the holiday seasons. STRIPES cups, white porcelain covered in stripes of contrasting colors is his first functional collection, an ongoing project which is re-introduced with this show to the international market. Each of Kuwata’s DRIPPS cups are created with a slip casting mold to make the porcelain base, Kuwata then individually applies over the molded cups his signature gold or platinum and seals it with a shino glaze, making each cup unique. Each cup comes in its own tomobako box and is the most economically accessible object in his repertoire.
THE ART
Takuro Kuwata hybridizes and exaggerates traditional ceramic methods to expand the possibilities of the medium, centering on the form of the tea ceremony bowl. Embracing wabi-sabi, the aesthetic of imperfection, but also looking to designs from Finland’s Arabia and British Wedgwood, Kuwata’s distinctive style is characterized by explosive, surreal surfaces. The artist responds to the geological makeup of his material as he shapes his vessels, often using a mix of fresh clay, remnants of dry clay, and stones. He experiments with traditional techniques such as kairagi-shino, wherein pottery is removed from the kiln before the glaze completely melts, and ishihaze, in which stones are left in clay to burst through the work’s surface during firing. With their surprising, cracked textures and brilliantly conceived palettes, Kuwata’s works gesture to the sublime unpredictability of nature.
TENUGUI & NOREN
Accompanying the exhibition, Takuro Kuwata created calligraphy using clay for “Tenugui”, a traditional Japanese towel, and “Noren”, a traditional Japanese fabric used as a divider.
He came up with an idea to use pieces of clay instead of brush. He dipped chunks of clay in sumi ink, and wrote several lines and words “うどん”, Udon in Japanese on A3 size copy paper in his studio. Those lines, like handmade Udon noodle or flag of the United States, are printed on Tenugui by Fujiya a Tenugui maker founded in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1946. Those Tenugui patterns are created by Kuwata. He stamps a “く” symbol from his last name which is used as his “signature” for his ceramic works in place of stars in the flag design.
“Tanakui” is another name for Tenugui. “Tanakui awase” was the first attempt at exhibiting Tenugui as art, by Santo Kyoden, in 1784. This exhibition near Ueno Shinobazu pond was revolutionary, showing the joy of Tenugui designs as art. The exhibitors were included well-known artist such Sakai Houitsu, Kuwagata Keisai, Kitagawa Utamaro, and kabuki actor, fifth Ichikawa Danjuro. Some connoisseurs competed with their unique designs of Tenugui to show their sophisticated knowledge hidden in designs.
All the Tenugui are hand dyed with the ”Chuzen Zome” method. Unlike for print, it dyes through the material with no distinction between front and back. Originally, Tenugui has been used for multiple ways. Some uses include decoration, collecting, wrapping, and to enjoy the season with. The beauty of Tenugui is there are so many ways to enjoy them and it’s up to each person.
Noren is thought to have originally appeared during the Heian Period (794- 1185), where they were used to keep houses cool, or retain heat during colder weather. Gradually, businesses started using them to guard entrances from dust, dirt, bad smells and smoke; a function they still carry out today. In restaurants during the Edo period, customers would wipe their hands on the noren as they left the establishment, so the dirtier the noren, the better! Kuwata collaborated with Fujiya to create a noren and carefully made in hand dying processes.
Special Thanks to
Kan Asakura / Benjamin Blumberg / Zoe Fisher / Zac Kresl / Takayo Izawa / Masahiro Kawakami / Eriko Kuwahara / Tadashi Murase/ Jeanne Greenberg Rohahyn / Fabienne Stephan / Trang Tran / Chisato Uchikura / Fujiya / GP Print Services Inc / Salon 94 Design
The Gallery Crew
Ricardo Diaz / Victor Diaz / Shuji Furukawa / Karma Gurung /Rina Murakami / Mai Mukuno / Maia Basaing / Fabian Morales / Hiroki Odo / Brian Saito / Eriko Sakai / Victor Sandoval / Mari Yoh
Exhibition curated by Akiko Ichikawa
Still life cup image courtesy of the artist and Salon 94 Design, Photo by Dan Bradica
Portrait by Koho Kotake
All art works © Takuro Kuwata except otherwise noticed