J O A N B M I R V I S S LT D
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFathers and Sons: Artistic PietyAutumn 2020
A Pair of Exhibitions featuring: 		SUZUKI OSAMU and SUZUKI TETSU
Opens September 15, 2020
WAKAO TOSHISADA and WAKAO KEI
Opens October 6, 2020

In our upcoming autumn exhibitions, Joan B Mirviss LTD will explore how two sons, Suzuki Tetsu(b. 1964) and Wakao Kei (b. 1967) successfully navigate the potentially turbulent waters of striving
to achieve artistic independence while maintaining their filial piety to and honoring the ceramic
traditions of their famous fathers: Living National Treasure, Suzuki Osamu (b. 1934) and Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Gifu prefecture, Wakao Toshisada (b. 1933). For these artists, the struggle
to break away from tradition has culminated in beautiful works and fresh ideas. Wakao Toshisada
recognizes the success of building off of these traditional foundations:Wakao Toshisada
Gray Shino-glazed platter, 2019
2 3/8 x 18 7/8 in.
(front) Wakao Kei
Celadon-glazed vessel, 201910 5/8 x 12 3/4 x 12 5/8 in.

“ When we say “tradition,” it typically evokes a feeling of something incredibly
rigid and solemn. Over the course of hundreds of years, those forms, longpreferred by the aesthetic sensibilities of people across the generations, containan inherent beauty that is difficult to resist. And so they persist, eternallyunchanging. For an artist, carrying on forever in the shadow of such tradition
can be extremely tedious. However, when one adds an element of something
new, this ‘tradition’ suddenly begins to gleam.”

All four artists live in Tajimi in Gifu prefecture, often considered the cultural crossroads of Japan as
it was here that some of the earliest high-fired ceramics were created. The potters of this region,
Mino, have been known since the 16th century for four distinctive glazed wares: Shino, Oribe,
Yellow Seto and Black Seto. The elder Suzuki and Wakao both have spent decades working to
expand the creative traditions of Shino wares.
Suzuki Osamu was the first ceramicist to fire Shino in a gas kiln. He fires them for a longer timethan the traditional wood-fired Shino vessels and cools them slowly to create his distinctive pitted,
irregular surfaces. In 1994, only the second ceramist to be so acknowledged, he received thedesignation of Living National Treasure for Shino ware in recognition of his remarkable glazing andpowerful forms, grounded in tradition but totally modern in approach.
Wakao Toshisada has chosen the complicated gray Shino (nezumi shino) as his medium. Hecombines the classic Shino glaze with a sophisticated form of resist decoration to execute beautiful
Rinpa style designs of flowers, grasses, waves and clouds on his vessels. This combination of glazeand imagery with the occasional use of marbleized clay, enables the artist to “breathe an air ofmodernity” into his classically inspired work. He was appointed as an Intangible Cultural Heritageof Gifu prefecture in 2003 for his re-interpretation and expansion of Momoyama era-inspired gray
Shino glazing.

(left) Suzuki Osamu
Shino-glazed incense burner, 201911 3/4 x 9 1/4 in.
(right) Suzuki Tetsu
Green-glazed vessel, 2016
13 1/2 x 15 x 11 5/8 in.

Suzuki Osamu
Faceted Shino-glazed waterjar, 20197 5/8 x 8 in.

J APA N E SE AR T Antiq u e- Co ntem p o ra ry
39 East 78th Street, 4th Floor | New York, NY 10075
Telephone 212 799 4021 | www.mirviss.com

J O A N B M I R V I S S LT D
Both sons began their ceramic endeavors at a much later age than their fathers. Suzuki Tetsu studied art
history with the goal of becoming a museum curator while Wakao Kei studied photography. However,after university, each artist returned to the world of clay. Suzuki Tetsu, in fact, moved back into thestudio complex where his father works. Like his father, he chose to remain within the Mino tradition
but separated himself by working with Oribe rather than Shino glazes. Using a uniquely gradated Oribe
green-glaze on his carved and banded vessels, the artist expresses the “brilliance, vibrancy and strengthof young leaves”.
Wakao Kei, unlike Suzuki Tetsu, chose to depart from the Mino glazes employed by his father,Toshisada.
He became fascinated by Chinese Song ceramics and after making a careful study of Ding (white)and celadon wares, he began creating his own vessels with glazes derived from that tradition. His
craquelure ivory and crystalized blue-gray celadon ceramics are occasionally adorned with highlights ofgold-overglaze decoration. He intentionally leaves portions of his dark gray sculptural bodies unglazed
to enhance the continual play of light and shadow across his forms. According to the artist, his viscousglazes emulate “the flow of water or the movement of air”.

Wakao Toshisada
Gray Shino-glazed bowl, 2019
5 1/2 x 12 3/4 x 12 7/8 in.

In the words of writer Jeffrey Hantover, all four men have proven that:“For some artists, tradition can be a narrow path. The achievement of previousgenerations can stifle rather than inspire. For Wakao Toshisada and Suzuki Osamu,
tradition has been a springboard for innovative and contemporary forms and glazes.
Their sons did not rest on their fathers’ laurels. They are carving out distinct paths
and, in the best examples of filial piety, bringing honor to their fathers by achieving
honor for themselves.”

Fathers and Sons: Suzuki Osamu and Suzuki Tetsu opens on September 15, 2020. Fathers and Sons: Wakao
Toshisada and Wakao Kei opens October 6, 2020. The public may visit both exhibitions virtually on ourwebsite or by appointment at our gallery location. There will be two Zoom panel discussions, one foreach show. The first discussion, for the Suzuki family, will take place on September 17 and the second,
for the Wakao family, will be held on October 8. There will be well-known academic and curatorial
panelists joining us for each presentation. The starting time for both is 5pm, and the public is invited tojoin us for those discussions.

Wakao Kei
Craquelure celadon-glazed teabowl, 2019
4 5/8 x 5 5/8 x 5 in.

Suzuki Osamu
Shino-glazed teabowl, 2010
3 5/8 x 5 3/8 x 5 3/4 in.

About Joan B. Mirviss LTD
Joan B. Mirviss has been a distinguished expert in Japanese art, specializing in fine art and ceramics formore than forty years. She is the leading Western dealer in the field of modern and contemporary
Japanese ceramics, and from her New York gallery on Madison Avenue, JOAN B MIRVISS LTD exclusively
represents the top Japanese clay artists. As a widely published and highly respected specialist in her field,Mirviss has advised and built collections for many museums, major private collectors, and corporations.
To receive additional exhibition information, high-resolution images and/or a Zoom invitation link foreither presentation, please email director@mirviss.com.
Suzuki Tetsu
Tall green-glazed vessel, 2018
21 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 6 5/8 in.

J APA N E SE AR T Antiq u e- Co ntem p o ra ry
39 East 78th Street, 4th Floor | New York, NY 10075
Telephone 212 799 4021 | www.mirviss.com