Installation view, Breathing Vessels: Contemporary Ceramics by Yanagihara Mutsuo

Breathing Vessels: Contemporary Ceramics by Yanagihara Mutsuo
Closing Saturday, June 7, 2025
18 East 64th Street, Ste 1F, NYC

There’s still time to view the solo exhibition of celebrated ceramic artist Yanagihara Mutsuo, celebrating a career spanning over six decades of contemporary ceramics at Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. before it closes June 7!

Shaped by international influences, especially his time teaching at Alfred University and Scripps College in the U.S. during the 1970s, Yanagihara embraced the American studio craft movement, which deepened his experimental and conceptual approach. Choosing independence over traditional affiliations, he forged a unique voice that fuses Japanese craftsmanship with modernist abstraction.

Now at 90, he continues to innovate with works that blur the line between sculpture and function with works that are playful, imaginative, and deeply rooted in ceramic tradition. This exhibition highlights key series from across his career, from Silver Oribe (Gin Oribe) and Flower-eating vessels (Kashoku) to his recent Exhalation and Inhalation (Kōki Kyūki), showcasing his exploration of botany, anthropomorphism, and abstraction with striking clarity.

To learn more and view the exhibition catalog, click here.