 – “What I like best about Miyajima Masayuki’s work is its dignity and sense of place,” says Fred G. Notehelfer, professor and director of the UCLA Center for…){kind=link}
(AAPNW-OH) – “What I like best about Miyajima Masayuki’s work is its dignity and sense of place,” says Fred G. Notehelfer, professor and director of the UCLA Center for Japanese Studies. “Occasionally he is dramatic and stunning; at other times he is very much down to earth, producing works filled with a sense of simple solidity that suits everyday life. Viewers will have the opportunity to enjoy the professor’s assessment and meet the artist during a reception on Tuesday, November 9 from 6:00-8:00 pm for his solo exhibition, “Masayuki Miyajima: Refined Function,” which will remain on view through December 17.
Miyajima’s studio and kiln are located outside of Mashiko, where for more than 20 years he has explored shape and material, producing pottery infused with a combination of body, mind and spirit. His works on display, which are both elegant and functional handcrafted pottery, is rooted in the Mingei folk art tradition that places emphasis on the value of ordinary useful items with less of an artistic design.
“Looking at Miyajima’s pottery today, I see the potential for a new generation of Mingei artists whose task remains the ever-challenging one of how to humanize our humdrum lives by restoring to us the human spirit with all its originality, power and beauty,” said Notehelfer. Miyajima is only one of two, who are internationally exhibiting apprentices of Shimaoka Tatsuzo, designated a “Living National Treasure” by the Japanese government.
For more information on this exhibit, including other DAC offerings, call 614.889.7444 or see www.dublinarts.org. They are located at 7125 Riverside Drive in in Dublin, Ohio.