Circa 1990
Japan
Glazed ceramic
6/14″ high x 2 3/4″ diameter

Yoshikawa is a contemporary Japanese ceramic artist whose work is in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Musée National de Ceramique Sèvres, Paris; Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston; the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City among many others.

Yoshikawa is particularly interested in creating functional works, and in exploring the interaction of utensils and their contents. He collaborates with chefs to stage performances involving food and tableware, and holds joint exhibitions with makers and designers who work in different media than ceramics.

A vital source of inspiration to him is the recherché tablewares of early 17th century Oribe, evident in the free and lively shapes as well as playful decoration of his pieces. This looseness of spirit is actually achieved with quite painstaking technique. Yoshikawa uses needles and pieces of piano wire to incise porcelain which has dried to a precise extent, and paints with sometsuke, or underglaze cobalt blue, to create a ragged, etching-like effect.

This five piece set of tokkuri (sake flask), sake cups, and tea cup with saucer wonderfully exemplify his technique. The slight asymmetry of the shape is lovely and the cobalt drawings evoke the vigorous spontaneity of abstract expressionist painters such as Cy Twombly. Signed, the sake flask with its original wooden box. Sake flask, sake cups, and tea cup with saucer can be purchased separately. Inquire.

Dimensions are of sake flask.