Memories of a House

This exhibition catalog accompanies the solo exhibition of the modern ceramic master Hayashi Yasuo (b. 1928), one of the most pivotal figures of the first post-war generation to shape contemporary Japanese ceramics. The publication brings together an intimate selection of works spanning from 1969 to the present, tracing key moments across an extraordinary artistic practice that has extended for more than eight decades.

This catalog features rare works from Hayashi's early period, alongside significant examples from the 1960s and 1970s. Following his encounter with the work of Surrealist Max Ernst at the home of potter Uno Sango, Hayashi developed biomorphic forms defined by sensuous contours and richly red surfaces. Also included are works from Hayashi's ongoing "Memories of a House" series, spanning the 1990's to present.

Now at 97, Hayashi finds renewed expression in a recent group of objets created in remembrance of the victims of, and those still affected by, the March 2011 Tohoku tsunami. Titled "Scenes of Namie Town," these works reaffirm his enduring belief in art as a vessel for humanity.