KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present a dual presentation of works by Takuro Kuwata and Dan McCarthy at Frieze Seoul 2024.

 

Takuro Kuwata and Dan McCarthy’s work have continually garnered significant attention and acclaim amidst the growing interest in ceramic work in the global art scene of recent years. Vivid colors and playful forms – as seen in McCarthy’s “Facepots” and Kuwata’s bold artistic expression achieved with glaze in his tea bowls made using the ‘kairagi’ ceramic technique – immediately attract the eye. On closer examination, one notices the technical refinement underpinning the appeal of their work – the application of ceramic techniques such as experimentation with glazing, the method of firing, and finer traditions such as ‘kintsugi’. However, what these two artists share in common is not so much pursuit of technical mastery per se as how they bring out the characteristics of the material while showing their respect for it. They have also developed a distinctive sensibility and perspective that transcend different cultures and time periods, and in applying this to their work, the two artists connect the medium of ceramics to a wider context and pioneer a new realm of ceramic art. McCarthy and Kuwata’s practices, in which the artists both revere and enjoy the inherently primitive process of creating ceramics, a prominent feature of which is not knowing the end result until the work is fired in the kiln, provide much insight for achieving freedom.

 

Takuro Kuwata has rapidly expanded the possibilities of ceramic art by creating works of an unparalleled nature that have been exhibited globally in Brussels, London, and New York. Kuwata’s contemporary visual language, which utilizes techniques of traditional Japanese pottery such as ‘kairagi’ and ‘ishihaze’ in a novel manner, has garnered international acclaim. Situated at the heart of Japanese ceramic artistry, Kuwata’s studio in the Mino region of Gifu retains history and techniques dating back to feudal Japan. Inheriting the traditional tea ceremony aesthetic of wabi-sabi, his works embrace imperfect beauty and natural forms that are celebrated in the preservation of a rustic, unrefined elegance. Through dialogue with the environment, history, nature, and time, Kuwata fuses together elements of tradition and modernity.

 

American artist, Dan McCarthy reconnected with ceramics after 25 years in 2012. Similar to his paintings and watercolors his vividly colored ceramic sculptures are created in a direct and hands on manner.

McCarthy’s artworks possess an immediacy and emotional resonance, which taken together create a personal and dynamic statement outside of popular issues and trends. His artworks are created with a unique vision of potential and possibilities thus creating unlimited accessibility across diverse social and cultural lines.

Working freely and directly, his ceramics emphasize immediacy and intuitive tactility. McCarthy uses emotion and intuition to create artworks with a strong sense of spontaneity and freedom.

As exemplified by his series of Facepots, this work points to a simplicity and childlike quality upon first glance, however upon deeper examination we discover other moods and emotions.

 

The presentation at Frieze Seoul 2024 revisits “Dear Friend”, a two-person exhibition of the artists shown at the gallery in 2022. The idea for the dual exhibition came from Kuwata, who recognized the affinities and the differing approaches between McCarthy and himself. One can imagine how these two artists, whose work stems from a dialogue between material and environment, have come to understand each other’s practices. Bringing the works of both artists physically together allows the artists’ creations to have a more intimate dialogue – in a language that can perhaps communicate more subtly than words allow. Viewers will witness, and at times mediate, the encounter.

 

This presentation for Frieze Seoul 2024 will consist of approximately 20 works by the two artists, and is designed by Tokyo based architect Kentaro Ishida.

 

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General information

Fair
Frieze Seoul 2024

Artists
Takuro Kuwata, Dan McCarthy

Dates
September 4, 2024 - September 7, 2024

Location
COEX

Booth
C20

Link
https://www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-seoul

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