Kato Mami, Kishibe, 2025, Seto porcelain, h:32 x w:34 x d:32.5 cm, with signed wood plate
SILENT EARTH
Contemporary Ceramics by Kato Mami
October 23 – November 6, 2025
Opening Reception with Artist: Thursday, October 23, 4-7pm (RSVP required)
Special Weekend Hours: Sunday, October 26, 1-5pm
18 East 64th St, Ste 1F, NYC
Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is honored to present the first New York solo exhibition of Tokoname-based ceramic artist Kato Mami (b. 1963). Renowned for her innovative glazes, titled “Frost Glaze,” over porcelain vessel forms, Kato’s work invites audiences to contemplate the inner life of vessels, where interior and exterior converge as sites of presence, imagination, and human connection.
Working primarily with porcelain slabs, Kato constructs sculptural vessels that recall glacial terrains, oceanic tides, and distant celestial landscapes. Her meticulous hand-building process—layering, folding, and draping porcelain clay—imbues each work with a delicate balance between fragility and strength.
The exhibition includes a selection of Kato’s celebrated chawan (tea bowls), the forms for which she became the first woman in history to win the Shoroku Chawan Competition in 2015, and the Koie Ryoji prize in the Chouzou Tougei Exhibition, These intimate works translate vast imagined landscapes into vessels that rest in the palm of the hand, their interiors embodying what Kato describes as a “soul-like presence.”
Kato’s achievements have been recognized across Japan, with the Grand Prize at the Mino Ceramics Exhibition (2019) and the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (2021) among her honors. Beyond accolades, her practice is deeply rooted in an exploration of time, memory, and universality. “I seek forms that transcend time,” she reflects, “silent presences that radiate a sense of universal beauty.”
This milestone exhibition for the artist offers New York audiences the rare opportunity to meet the artist and experience the depth of Kato’s vision through a curated collection of her latest work: vessels as sanctuaries of acceptance, imagination, and connection.
The artist will be in the gallery to meet guests, collectors, and fans of her work on the following days:
- Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 4-7pm
- Sunday, October 26, 2025 | 1-4pm
- Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 2-4pm
- Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 2-4pm
There is no need to make an appointment to visit us on these dates: simply drop in and say hello!
Kato Mami is also teaching a Slab Building Workshop at Peters Valley School of Craft in New Jersey from October 31–November 2, 2025. There are a very limited number spots remaining! This is a rare opportunity to learn from a highly skilled artist from Japan. Visit Peters Valley School of Craft’s website here for full details and registration.
To learn more and view the online catalog, click here.