Eiji Uematsu Exhibition [ Earth and Fire ] at The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo

Eiji Uematsu
Dance in the Forest (part), 2016
Photography: Ikuko Ando

Exhibition Detail:

Eiji Uematsu [ Soil and Fire ]

12 (sat) December, 2020 - 21 (sun) February, 2021

Closed on: Mondays, 31 (thu) Dec, 1 (fri/holiday) Jan
* 11 (mon/holiday) Jan is opened, and 12 (tue) is closed

Place:
The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo

Since 2006, the Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo has been inviting prominent artists from Japan and abroad to participate in the "Famous Artist Invitation Program" in order to stimulate young ceramic artists and promote a deeper understanding of ceramic art among a wide range of people. This year's event, the 15th of its kind, will feature Eiji Uematsu (1949- ), an artist who uses clay and fire as his materials, but who is also attracting attention from the field of contemporary art for his unique style that cannot be categorized as either sculpture or ceramics.

Born in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Uematsu studied oil painting and drawing at a vocational school in Tokyo around the beginning of the 1970s, but eventually became attracted to natural materials, and as he searched for more fundamental forms, he became fascinated by the material "soil" that is directly connected to the earth. He began to create works based on the theme of forms that naturally emerge from the act of "not making something or expressing something, but feeling the expression and quality of the soil with my hands and eyes by pressing and tapping it.

In 1975, he moved to Shigaraki-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, where he worked at a pottery factory while deepening his own creative activities. In 1981, he began wild firing, and in 1982, he set up his residence and workshop in Maruhashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, where he built a kiln using both wood and kerosene. In 1982, he moved to Maruhashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, where he built a kiln using both wood and kerosene. In the rich natural environment of the surrounding forest, he has been able to draw out the various expressions of the soil and expand his range of work.

Uematsu's works are always accompanied by impressive words. These words express Uematsu's view of the world. While looking at the world with an aloof but sharp gaze, Uematsu says that he lives in harmony with the nature around him in the place where he is currently based. The world of Uematsu's creations is based on what he sees, hears, and feels, and he creates them modestly with clay and words.

In this exhibition, Uematsu will reconsider the meaning of "expressing oneself with soil" through his unique way of interacting with soil, and explore the new possibilities it suggests.