Natalia Rodriguez
Arts Editor
“Tōgei: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics” is currently on display at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona.
The exhibition, which opened in June in the Julianne & David Armstrong Gallery in the museum, highlights the evolution of Japanese ceramics from the late 1940s to present day.
Hollis Goodall, the curator of the exhibition, spoke during a virtual talk Sept. 1 alongside Kaoru Kuribayashi, who recently curated an exhibit for The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles.
“This is the first show of Japanese ceramics to be shown at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County,” Goodall said.
Many of the works being showcased vary from detailed bowls and wares used for tea and sake to more abstract pieces.
In addition to this, many of the museum’s walls displayed pieces of text explaining certain aspects of either early Japanese ceramicism, or the different ways these works can be used.
For example, one of the texts gave a brief description on the history and progression of Japanese tea ceremonies.
Jasmine Corona, a sophomore at Pasadena City College, attended the Aug. 29 curatorial tour. She mentioned wanting to learn more about ceramics and their production given that she herself has recently started learning the craft.
“One of the things that’s pretty difficult with doing art and making art is finding your voice,” Corona said. “I wanted to look at some inspiration. . . there’s a large variety of artists here from really old to modern, and I wanted to see some things that I haven’t seen done with clay before.”
Goodall expressed her desire to share this exhibit with a new audience, especially given that this is the first showcasing of Japanese ceramics in the eastern Los Angeles area in almost half a century.
“What I wanted people to understand is the geographic importance of these ancient kiln sites and how they produced different types of clay,” Goodall said. “How artists would create different types of work to reflect the clay of that area.”
“All of the pieces really started out as needing to be ergonomic for one reason or another.”
“Cold-Water Jar for Tea (mizusashi)” by Osamu Inayoshi, “Tea Bowl (chawan)” by Takahirō Kondō and “Winter Tea Bowl: Moon over Snow” by Emiko Asada are all examples of the more ergonomic pieces.
Though different from typically thought-of ceramic bowls due to their square-like shapes and decorative coloring, each of these would function as a proper vessel for drinking tea.
These three works are lined up next to each other in one of the glass cases at the museum.
Maia Lazor, who recently attended the exhibition, had a similar experience as Corona. Being a visual artist, she was excited to see the kinds of ceramics in the area.
“Even though there is so much history in all these pieces, I was appreciating technique and craftsmanship,” Lazor said. “I was particularly interested in the glaze combinations that people were using to achieve certain effects.”
Lazor attended with her friend, Darien Cobb, who was also curious about the museum. They were both wondering about things to do in Pomona and found out about the exhibit through the Pomona Arts Colony.
Both Lazor and Cobb were partial to the “Neo-Jōmon Tonosama Head” by En Iwamura, a large, red sculpture of a head. The surface is decorated with clusters of lines going in different directions, three small holes depicting eyes and a mouth and faint outlines of facial hair. Two ears and what appears to be a bun stick out from the sides and top.
“When we first saw it, it’s funny to look at,” Cobb said. “That’s the first impression, but when you look closer, there’s a lot of detail, a lot of work that’s clearly been put into it.”
“Tōgei” is on display until May 30, 2027. AMOCA is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, visit amoca.org/current-exhibits/togei_modern.
Natalia Rodriguez can be reached at natalia.rodriguez@laverne.edu.
Natalia Rodriguez is a senior creative writing and communications major. She is a member of ULV's The Blank Page Writer's Club and has served as a staff member for the school's literary magazine, Prism Review. She is currently arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and previously served as a staff writer.
