sasayama tadayasu 笹山忠保(1939- )
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At the forefront of the Japanese avant-garde was the Sodeisha 走泥社 group. In the 1950s, this group liberated ceramics from their utilitarian origins to create innovative but non-functional ceramic art-objects. The artist SASAYAMA Tadayasu笹山忠保 (1939- ) exhibited with the Sodeisha group in 1967. His works embody a simple, quiet stillness that evokes a sense of space not unlike the work of the American Minimalist sculptor Donald Judd. His work’s modular-esqe execution also brings Judd to mind; though these pieces may seem the same, each is in fact carefully handmade. Sasayama’s refined forms elevate traditional clay, pigments, and glazes to sophisticated modernist sculptures whose wood-fired surfaces remain recognizably Shigaraki. Like Judd, Sasayama infuses his material with elemental power, conjuring up nearly spiritual connotations from simple origins.
Acting on advice from American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), Sasayama looked to primitive Japanese art to fuel his formal imagination. Noguchi urged the artist to find his true identity as a Japanese artist by studying the history of ceramics and ancient design. This proved very fruitful for the artist, and even now he continues to contemplate Noguchi’s advice. Just last year, Sasayama was invited to hold an exhibition in Korea titled “Primitive/Modern.”
biography
Selected Public Collections:
Everson Museum of Art,
Portland Art Museum,
Saint Louis Art Museum
Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, France,
ATLIERS D’ART DE FRANCE, FRANCE,
Norwegian National Craft Museum, Norway,
Canterbury Museum, New Zealand,
Taiwan National Museum of History,
Icheon World Ceramic Center, South Korea
Gimhae National Museum, South Korea,
New South Wales Art University, Australi
The National Museum of modern Art, Tokyo,
Japan Foundation,
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu,
The Museume of Ceramic Art, Hyogo
Everson Museum of Art , St. Louis Art Museum
1939 Born in Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture
1963 Founding member of Shigaraki Craftman Association
1965 Gold Prize, Japan Ceramic Design Concours
1967 Joined Sodeisha group (~1985)
1976 Participated in 7th World Craft Council (Mexico)
1978 Coordinator of 8th World Craft Council (Kyoto, Shigaraki)
1979 Joined International Academy of Ceramics (IAC)
1980 Steering Committee, IAC General Assembly (Kyoto)
1981 Participated in IAC General Assembly (Paris)
1982 Lecturer, Kyoto City University of Arts (~1985)
1983 Organized Shigaraki-Tokoname Joint Exhibition
Founding member of Shigaraki Sculpture Group
1984 Participated in IAC Boston Conference
Participated in NCECA Boston Conference
Special Prize, 1st International Miniature Triennale (Zagreb, Yugoslavia
1985 Coordinator of Shigaraki Symbol Monument Competition
1986 Award for Excellence, 1st Yagi Kazuo Award Exhibition
Workshop and lecture, Norway National University of Art
1990 Board of Directors, World Ceramic Exposition (~1991)
1991 Commemorative Award, Juried Exhibition for Wood Fired Ceramics
1992 Workshop, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
1993 Keynote Lecture, 24th Ceramic Design Conference
Design consultant, Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics Co., Inc.(~2009)
1995 Workshop, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
1996 Participated in IAC General Assembly (Saga, Nagoya)
1997 Lecturer, Department of Education, Shiga University(~2002)
2000 Lecture, International Ceramic Symposium, Kangnam University, Korea
2004 Designated by Koka City as Possessor of Important Intangible Cultural Asset
Participated in IAC General Assembly (Korea)
2005 Invited to 3rd Gyeonggido World Ceramic Biennale, (Icheon, Korea)
2011 IAC PARIS Members Exhibition(Paris)
Invited to 6 Gyenggido World Ceramic Bennale,(yeoju,Korea)
2012 Shumei Cultural Award