Fausto Salvi is a ceramic artist producing contemporary Majolica pottery from his kiln based close to the city of Milan, Italy. In 2014, he visited Japan for one month or so as the artist in residence at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shiga Prefecture. He had always intended to exhibit the works he produced during his stay, and it was during this time that he came across our gallery, and we started our collaboration culminating in a couple of solo exhibitions; this is our third with Fausto.
Distinctive Majolica colorations and a texture achieved by low-temperature firing make us forget we are in Japan. His works are filled with humor and the vibrant spirit of Italy.
Our encounter with Prof. Toshio Matsui was through Fausto. Both artists were roommates in a biennale held in South Korea. Earlier, in 1979, as a scholarship student of the Italian government, Toshio studied at the Ceramic Art National School G. Ballardini, Faenza in Italy, the same research institute where Fausto studied from 1990 to 1992, some 10 years later.
Prof. Matsui teaches spatial design at Kyoto University of Art and Design, and when I met him for the first time, he stated, “I don’t like ceramic art,” so I took it for granted that he was a spatial designer. I had given him yubae made by Mikuraya, a Japanese confectioner, as a gift, but he seemed to think I meant yubae meaning shining glaze, and so sure enough, I knew he was a real ceramic artist. However, his works do not look like regular ceramics, because they are rather experimental and in each piece he places great emphasis on his original concept.
TEA FOR TWO is an exhibition purely arising from the long friendship of two distinctive artists with no point of contact in their styles of work. They meet again in Kyoto and have tea together.
I like to think the main discourse of art may be found in such occasions.
Whenever possible I much prefer to hold exhibitions that have grown out of such enduring friendship.
⎯⎯⎯ Atsumi Fujita. Director, Sokyo Gallery
