KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present works by four artists Yutaka Aoki, Takuro Kuwata, Miwa Kyusetsu XIII, and Noritaka Tatehana at Frieze Seoul 2023.

Yutaka Aoki uses acrylic paint to create abstract works with substantial impasto to study light and its organic, three-dimensional qualities. Aoki observes light as a multi-faceted element that grants informationon the world and is also an indicator of the passage of time. His paintings oscillate between two- and threedimensionality, and respond not only to materials and production processes, but also to specific elements in their environment, including the relationship with the audienceʼs gaze, the passage of time, and the conditions of the exhibition space. Light imbues his work with an intrinsic richness, providing a visual experience that awakens the natural human senses desensitized by our increasingly digital lives.

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.

Noritaka Tatehana presents a never-before-seen perspective and worldview by combining elements of traditional Japanese culture with values of the contemporary world. His carefully honed artistry is elegantly expressed throughout his various mediums. Nurturing the sensitivities of a rich history, mythology, and innovation, Tatehanaʼs work brims with his potential and hopes for the future. The artist is renowned for his trademark works titled “Heel-less Shoes,” which are inspired by the elevated wooden clogs worn by traditional Japanese courtesans. These works have attracted global recognition since being worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga. To date, Tatehanaʼs work has been collected by institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Miwa assumed the family title of Miwa Kyusetsu XIII in 2019. He is highly acclaimed for his style that incorporates dynamic and innovative sculptural forms while carrying forward the legacy of Hagi ware ceramics by using the white Hagi glaze (Kyusetsu white) adopted by the Miwa family. On view in this presentation is his “El Capitan” series of tea bowls that highlights the contrast between the unglazed clay surface of　the pottery cut out using a Japanese sword and the Miwa familyʼs traditional glaze. This series owes its primary inspiration to Miwaʼs astonishment at seeing the enormous granite edifice of the same name at Yosemite National Park while studying in the United States, whose impression he combines with Hagi clay and ceramic traditions. This series has an enchantingly powerful originality and conveys the energy of nature and the long history of kogei crafts.

This presentation for Frieze Seoul 2023 will consist of approximately 20 works by the four artists.