Porcelain has long been synonymous with refinement: delicate, serene, elegant, tranquil. In short, perfection. Yet Kato Tsubusa’s porcelain, equally beautiful, charted a radically different path. His sculptures in white porcelain, often accented with the faintest whisper of pale blue celadon glaze, rejected stillness in favor of motion, and luxury in favor of daring form. Sweeping dramatically through space, they challenged porcelain’s reputation for calm restraint. Some took the guise of “vases” or “platters,” yet their razor-sharp edges and daunting fragility transformed them into provocations rather than functional objects. From the age of 21, Kato devoted himself exclusively to the most demanding of mediums: white porcelain clay.
Kato embraced porcelain at its most fragile, pushing it to the limits of possibility. He shaped long, unsupported strips of clay into forms that seemed to defy gravity: gestures alive with the energy of calligraphy. Serrated, knife-like edges (his unmistakable signature) suggested glacial landscapes, while luminous surfaces evoked the shimmer of minerals, paradoxically rendered in an opaque medium. In these works, he revealed the extraordinary versatility of clay, expanding porcelain beyond tradition into uncharted sculptural expression.
Kato Tsubusa 加藤委, Square Bowl Form, 2018
Our gallery was privileged to share a long and meaningful relationship with Kato, from with his solo exhibition in February 2006, when we were located in 249 east 48th St., and continuing through to 2019 at our current location at 18 east 64th St., when his Moon Series was presented in New York for Asia Week. These luminous ceramic works, inspired by the profound experience of gazing at the moon, placed his practice within a global artistic dialogue and left a lasting impression on audiences. Below are reflections from this series:
Kato Tsubusa passed away unexpectedly in September 2025 at the age of 63, leaving behind a body of work that forever transformed the language of contemporary porcelain. We remain in deep gratitude for his life and for the vision of contemporary celadon that he shared with the world.
Video of Kato Tsubusa in his studio in 2019:
