Sokyo Gallery and Sokyo Annex (Kyoto) are pleased to present Daisuke Iguchi's solo exhibition, “Time and Three Cornered World.” This exhibition, his second in four years since his last 2021 solo show, will feature 31 new works, including six tea bowls. At Sokyo Annex, five pieces from the “Shuhentō Ginsaitsubo (Rust-Changing Silver-Glazed Ceramics)” series, each with its own distinct expression, will be displayed on uneven trapezoidal pedestals. This installation constructs a new temporal axis and presence within the white box space.
Iguchi has been captivated by the traces left by the passage of time, transforming these images into ceramic forms. His self-coined term “Rust pottery (Shutō)” features a unique texture born from firing with rice husk ash and subsequent polishing, embodying a depth and presence as if weathered by time. Soft curves formed by coil-building, taut contours, and delicate lines applied to the surface lend the works a serene depth.
The exhibition title “Time and Three Cornered World” originates from Japanese novelist Sōseki Natsume's "Kusamakura" (1906). In this work, the protagonist, a painter, departs from the tedious daily life of the city and travels along mountain paths, seeking a state of “non-human emotion”—a pure world of beauty transcending mundane feelings and utilitarian interests. Confronting fundamental questions such as “What is beauty?” and “How should the relationship between humans and nature be constructed?”, the protagonist deepens his contemplation on the differences between Western and Eastern art. This reflects Soseki’s profound aesthetics and views on art, resonating in many ways with Iguchi’s creative philosophy.
Furthermore, scenes poetically depicting mountain paths and hot spring inns function as symbolic spaces manifesting Japanese natural beauty. These descriptions deeply resonate with the pastoral landscapes, flora, and fauna, and old tools found in nature that Iguchi accumulated from his childhood. Moreover, Sōseki's word “A novel need not have a plot. It suffices if a ‘beautiful feeling’ remains,” aligns with Iguchi's creative philosophy: “It would be good if my work required no explanation to the viewer.” By carving the traces of time into the material of clay and pursuing forms that connect the inner and outer, Iguchi's work quietly questions the relationship between nature and humanity, beauty and time. We sincerely hope you will take the opportunity to view this exhibition, which represents a new challenge for Sokyo.
Daisuke Iguchi was born in 1975. He graduated from Tohoku University of Art and Design in Tochigi, Japan in 1998 and completed a course at the Industrial Technology Center of Tochigi Prefecture in 1999, studying under Masayuki Uraguchi. He has been working in Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture since 2004.
Major awards include Grand Prize at 14th Paramita Ceramic Arts Exhibition (2019); Governor Award, 54th East Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition (2014); Special Award, 7th Mashiko Ceramic Exhibition (2008).
Collections include Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Kasama, Ibaraki, Japan; Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, Haga, Tochigi, Japan; Paramita Museum, Mie, Japan; Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR, U.S.A.; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
