above left to right: Akashi Ryōtarō (b.1971), Mi; Fruitful, 2023, Platinum glazed stoneware, 9 1/4 x 11 1/2 in.; Hattori Makiko (b. 1984), Kizashi; Sign, 2023, Unglazed porcelaneous stoneware, 11 3/8 x 15 3/4 in.

Coming to Life: Vernal Expressions in Clay
New Work by Hattori Makiko
International Solo Debut of Akashi Ryotaro

May 2, 2023 – June 16, 2023

This spring, two Japanese ceramic artists, still early in their careers, consider the timely themes of birth and growth in all new works created for Joan B Mirviss LTD. Artist Hattori Makiko presents her signature sculptural forms covered in painstakingly hand-applied bundled ribbons of clay, a very lengthy process.

Akashi Ryōtarō explores new techniques with platinum overglazes that catch and throw light over the precisely carved surfaces of his biomorphic forms. His newly developed technique that he calls hekikosai refers to the blue-green colors that are hidden and revealed by shifting lights.

After the past few years of isolation and uncertainty, both artists express through their latest work a sustained wonder at the miraculous and delicate nature of new life. Through extremely intricate textured surfaces, time-consuming to create, both artists engage in an act of meditation resulting in artwork that contemplates the mysteries that come to define spring.