NYAB Event - Takahiro Kondo "Reflections"

Takahiro Kondo "Reflections"

Barry Friedman Ltd.

This event has ended.

Takahiro Kondo was born into the refined world of traditional Kyoto blue-and-white porcelain. His grandfather, Yuzo Kondo (1902-1985) was named a Living National Treasure in 1977 for his work in sometsuke, or underglaze cobalt blue decoration. Despite his weighty heritage, Kondo did not begin
working in ceramics until 1986. His early ceramics followed the more traditional ornamentation favored by his grandfather, but Kondo quickly established his own independent artistic identity, developing his gintekisai glaze technique and experimenting with new media, like metal and cast glass.

Kondo¹s newest body of work, Reflections, is a series of 25 life casts of the artist¹s head and face. The glazing, color palette, and design of each head is unique and serves to reference specific themes and concepts from the artist¹s past works. Kondo has previously worked in ceramic slab
construction making these life casts a major departure for him.

The nature of water and man¹s relationship to it is a theme present throughout much of the artist¹s career. His signature gintekisai glaze, or mist technique, is repeatedly used to represent this. The glaze provides a luminescent finish, and strong textural quality that mimics different aspects of water mist, droplets, rivulets, fog as well as the way water runs, drops, pools, and clings to a surface. Beyond simple representation however, Kondo¹s work demonstrates an environmental concern for the human disruption of our natural water supply. Kondo states, ³Looking forward, the
21st century is the age of water. Clean water is already a huge issue in many parts of the world, especially the developing world and lack of water has ramifications for food supply globallyŠHow people treat the earth is of great concern [and it is this reason] I am taking these issues head on in my
current work.²

The Reflections series presents two dichotomous examples. Heads glazed with gold and precious metals draw attention to mankind¹s obsession with material goods and excess to which much of our environmental imbalance can be attributed. These stand in stark contrast to pit-fired clay heads, that have been left to organically crack, falter, and stain based on their natural tendencies. These contrasting heads act as a warning towards the effect this imbalance will have on the future of our environment.

This series is Kondo¹s first use of self-portraiture, and by incorporating himself into the works they become deeply personal. The water-like glazes that have washed over his works in the past now wash over his head and face. This not only demonstrates continuity between his past and present works, but Kondo¹s readiness to move beyond the decorative, and create conceptual work suggestive of his beliefs and concerns.

Media

• Sculpture
• Crafts
• Ceramics

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