Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection highlights the diversity, creativity, and technical virtuosity of 20th- and 21st-century ceramic artists working in Japan.

The exhibition features both artists whose work is inspired by traditional themes and those who work in (or are influenced by aspects of) the avant-garde. Tensions between form and functionality, traditional and modern, national and international are often evident across works in the exhibition and within individual works.

Groupings of objects suggest particular elements associated with the medium’s development, including tea vessels, biomorphic forms, geometric design, monumental and sculptural art, and works that exemplify the Mingei and Sōdeisha movements. More than 30 artists are represented, including many of Japan’s greatest living ceramicists. Among them are historical master potter pioneers such as Hamada Shōji, Kiatoji Rosanjin, Yamada Hikaru, and Kazuo Yagi and contemporary leaders such as Nakaigawa Yuki, Katsumata Chieko, Hoshino Kayoko, and Akiyama Yo.

Into the Fold will be on view in the David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing from October 7, 2014, until February 12, 2017. Organized by the Harn Museum of Art, the exhibition draws exclusively from the Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection. Guest Japanese art curator Tomoko Nagakura joined the Harn’s Jason Steuber and Allysa Peyton to create the installation and bilingual gallery guide accompanying the exhibition.

Unglazed Bowl with Silver Glaze by Hoshino Kayoko
Akoda Pumpkin by Katsumata Chieko