FIRE
A Curated Selection of Ceramics

526 West 26th Street, Suite 814 NY, NY 10001

alisonbradleyprojects.com

646 476 8409

Shigaraki Jar, Stoneware with natural ash glaze, 15th-16th century, 18½ x 16¼ x 16 inches

ALISON BRADLEY PROJECTSFIRE: A Curated Selection of Ceramics
Alison Bradley Projects
November 17th, 2022 – January 7th, 2023

Alison Bradley, Principal
Rebecca Humphreys, Director
Cayla Blachman, Gallery AssociateMartin Bland, Curator

Catalogue authored by Cayla Blachman

Table of Contents
Introduction
Press Release
Works Listed

Introduction
FIRE traces a lineage of ceramics, from pre-Modern Japanese vessels to contemporary ceramics of today. The
objects in this exhibition illuminate a series of call and response across five hundred years, between artists andcultures, that have navigated boundaries between art and craft. A fifteenth century jar born out of Shigaraki, oneof the six ancient kilns of Japan, initiates the timeline of this exhibition, contextualizing the evolution of many ofthese objects. The likes of Shigaraki ware found their way to the West upon the opening of Japanese ports in themid 1800s, prompting an exchange that has persisted over time and informed much of the work in thisexhibition.
The expansion of this trade opened the door to a confluence of art and craft, igniting an appreciation forcraftsmanship in a rapidly industrializing Europe, where object as commodity superseded object as art. Such
objects spawned a wave of influence not only formally, but conceptually. What started as an initial moment ofcommercial contact begot an entirely new era of Modern ceramics.
This plurality carried on through the twentieth century in waves, peaking during Modernism in Europe prior torippling through the Americas during the post-war period. It is during this time period that the artistic potentialof ceramics expands, growing from purely functional to purely formal. Artists abandon notions of function inpursuit of a sculptural approach, expanding upon Modernist forms. Through the mid 20th century and into the
21st, form evolves from a pathway to function to an aesthetic quality.
As such, the ceramic work of today becomes an encoding of history, a visualization of the progression of themedium. Function does not necessitate form, nor does form necessitate function; each exists in limitless
combination. Time becomes a medium as much as clay; the clay recording, revealing and interpreting an
entropic space in which ceramics might be appreciated not only for their craftsmanship but for artifice itself.
FIRE examines the flexibility of a medium that has spanned the ages. By convening the work of a wide range ofartists across the span of hundreds of years, this exhibition demonstrates the diversity of possibility in a medium
grounded in fire.

Press Release
Alison Bradley Projects is pleased to present FIRE: A Curated Selection of Ceramics, featuring work by artists
Jane Yang-D'Haene, George Ohr, Miwa Neishi, Nick Mauss, Keiko Narahashi, Fawn Krieger, Jiha Moon, Ewen
Henderson, Yuta Segawa, Francesco Simeti, David Kennedy Cutler, William J. O'Brien, Ruth Duckworth,Toshiko Takaezu, Beate Kuhn, and more.
FIRE presents a rotating body of over 100 works by a broad range of ceramic artists, from the fifteenth century
to the current day. This exhibition serves to introduce the gallery’s ceramics program, which is grounded in the
pre-modern lineage of Japanese and Korean vessels. Showcasing a selection of three-dimensional works, thepieces on view offer a window into the malleability of the medium and diversity of the ever-progressing ceramic
tradition. These works challenge the boundaries of the ceramic as functional craft and its relation to the artist as
an individual. Though the objects featured diverge in their function, form, and technique, they find common
ground in FIRE.
The featured artists capture a history, evolution, and cross-cultural exchange of a medium found iterated acrosscultures for millennia. These works embody the transformation of boundaries between art, craft, andcommerce, the continuous expansion of the status of the ceramic, and the relationship of the contemporary to
the tradition of craft. FIRE seeks to navigate these boundaries, as well as exemplify the border crossing of artistic
influence.
Our exhibition demonstrates a series of responses between artists, movements, cultures, and media. The
overarching timeline of the exhibition allows for an exploration into the progression of ceramics from functional
craft to a high Contemporary Art. The scope of the exhibition invites viewers to witness a through line ofinfluence, as artists build upon the traditions and experiments of those who came before. A history of function
informs a future of art, demonstrating less a delineation between art and craft, but instead the continuation of a
dynamic relationship, in which one informs the other. The works are simultaneously situated within andwithout– evading singular definition or classification.
Alison Bradley Projects is honored to present work that showcases the legacy of ceramic tradition and its
evolution in the Modern and Contemporary era and beyond. FIRE will be on view from November 17, 2022 toJanuary 7, 2023, with works rotating throughout the run of the show.

WorksShigaraki

Shigaraki

Shigaraki Jar

Shigaraki Jar

Stoneware with natural ash glaze

Stoneware with natural ash glaze

15th-16th century

17th century

18½ x 16¼ x 16 inches

12 x 9 inches

Shigaraki, known as one of the six ancient kilns of Japan, has been in production since as early as the 700s andcontinues to this day. These early examples are characteristic of Shigaraki ware in form, ash glaze and color, thewarm tones of which are typical of the clay drawn from Lake Biwa, just north of Kyoto. The forms are elegant
and simplistic, showcasing the touch of the artists’ hand, as well as the qualities produced by fire.

Aso Kojima
Clay and natural glaze
2016
4 in x 5 in x 3 in
PROVENANCE
ArtistPrivate Collection, Japan
Aso Kojima, a self-taught ceramicist, bases his practice in traditional Japanese methods and has built numerous
kilns on his self-sustaining farm in Nagano, Japan. In person and in practice, he is tied to the land and lineage, as
evidenced in this bird vessel. Animalistic vessels have been created across cultures for millenia; Kojima creates apiece that is independent of time or place, yet simultaneously bound with his lifestyle and tradition.

Beate Kuhn
Pillar
Stoneware
Circa 1970
34 ¼ x 8 ½ x 8 ½ inches
PROVENANCE
Estate of the Artist
Beate Kuhn (1927-2015) was one of the key artists included in a 1968 exhibition of German ceramicists at
Primavera Gallery London, all of whom had been influenced by British studio potters such as Bernard and Janet
Leach. Pillar descends from a lineage of modernist sculpture. Using stoneware, Kuhn alternates between an
organic and almost metallic surface quality, mimicking the tension between her natural materials and strongly
articulated form.

Beate Kuhn
Untitled
Stoneware1969
14 ⅛ x 13 ¾ x 15 inches
PROVENANCE
Estate of the Artist
Kuhn’s sculptural ceramics abandon utility for pure abstraction. Untitled demonstrates Kuhn’s predilection
toward biomorphic design, as the artist borrows organic forms to create something otherworldly–completely
untethered to realism or representation.

Bernard Leach
Unique stoneware bottle vase
Size
PROVENANCE
St Ives Pottery Workshop
Private Collection, New YorkIn 1920, Bernard Leach (1887-1979) and Shōji Hamada (1894-1978), a major figure in the Japanese mingei
movement, founded The Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The studio became one of
the most influential pottery studios in the world, impacting Studio Pottery, as well as ceramic artists, in the UK
and beyond. The studio was founded upon a principle of East/West exchange, as Leach’s childhood in Asia andcontinued collaboration with artists like Hamada consequentially shaped his own career. This bottle vase is an
excellent example of Leach’s signature style, evidencing this exchange in technique, form, and design.

Bizen Ware

Bizen Ware refers to ceramic objects coming out of the Bizen province of Japan in what is known today as the
Okayama Prefecture. Bizen was considered one of the six ancient kilns of Japan, with production beginningduring the 14th century. It is characterized by the high firing temperature, and its unglazed reddish brownsurface, instead ornamented with ash and other markings from firing. This grouping of modern Bizen Ware
exemplify this pared down approach, as simple forms highlight the surface anomalies created by the kiln,
embracing the interest created by the unpredictability of fire.

Bizen ware

Koichi Shibaoka

Bud vase with natural ash glaze

Bizen Ware Vase

Stoneware

Stoneware

Circa 1990

Circa 1990

7 ⅞ x 4 x 4 inches

8 ¼ x 3 ¾ x 3 ¾ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Bizen ware

Bizen ware

Vase with natural ash glaze

Stoneware

Stoneware

9 x 4 x 4 inches

Circa 1990
7 ⅞ x 4 x 4 inches
PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Bizen ware

Chawan Bizen ware

Bud vase with natural ash glaze

Sake cup

Stoneware

Ceramic cup with kintsugi repair

Circa 1990

Middle-Late Edo period

8 x 4 x 4 inches

3 x 3 x 2 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Private Collection, New York

Chawan Bizen ware
Sake cup
Ceramic cup with signed box
Circa 1940
1 ¾ x 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York

Bizen ware Youhen

Bizen ware Youhen

Tea bowl

Ikebana Hanging Vessel with Box

3x4½x4¾

Ceramic

Signed4 ½ x 4 x 3 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Chawan
Chawan, or tea bowls, originated in China before their initial import to Japan between the 13th and 16th centuries.
As the tea ceremony evolved into a distinct tradition in Japan, so did the production of chawan grow into alongstanding ceramic tradition.

Chawan Raku ware

Chawan Seto ware

Tea bowl

Tea bowl

Ceramic

Ceramic

2 ½ x 5 ½ x 5 ½ in

3 x 5 x 5 in
SignedPROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Chawan Hagi ware
Tea bowl
Circa 1940 (Postwar Showa Period)
2 ¾ x 5 ⅛ x 5 ⅛ inches
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York
Hagi ware was originally developed in The Satsuma region at the close of the 16th Century following the Imjin
war. Many Korean potters were brought back to Japan and practiced their trade, ultimately becoming a major
branch of desirable ceramics.

Chawan Kobizen Bizen ware
Ceramic bowl with original box marked with the character for “Dragon”
Late Edo period (1800 - 1849)
3 ⅜ x 5 ⅛ x 5 ⅛ inches
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York

Chawan Shino ware
Tea bowl
Ceramic
Circa 1940 (Postwar Showa Period)
3 ⅜ x 5 ⅛ x 5 ⅛ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New YorkChawan Tokoname ware
Tea bowl
Ceramic with signed box
Circa 1940 (Postwar Showa Period)
2 ⅜ x 5 ¾ x 5 ¾ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York

Chawan Kutani ware

Unknown Artist

Tea bowl with box

Chawan Seto-Ware

Ceramic

Yellow flat box, Japanese antique tea ceremony bowl

3 x 5 x 5 in

2 ½ x 6 x 6 inches

SignedPROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Christoph Moller
UntitledGlazed ceramic
2015
11 x 7 x 7 ⅞ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York

Ewen Henderson

Ewen Henderson

Untitled

Untitled

Stoneware

Laminated stoneware

Circa 1990

1990s

Height 21 ½ inches

11 ¾ x 13 x 8 ⅝ in

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Ewen Henderson (1934 - 2000) was a Scottish ceramicist whose work dealt with the natural world much like acubist painting, expressing iterations of form, color, or texture. He abandons the static generally ascribed toceramics, instead creating a dynamic surface as mimesis of the ever shifting world around us.

Ewen Henderson
Bowl
Stoneware with glaze
2 ⅞ x 8 ¼ x 6 ¾ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New YorkIn Bowl, Henderson embraces a functional form, maintaining a simplistic form, riffing on tradition by creating
an asymmetrical lean and jagged edge– neither of which disrupt the utility of the object. The glaze work floats
somewhere between nature and artifice, combining colors that feel organic in hue, yet are intentionally applied.

Fawn Krieger//3
Fired clay, underglaze, concrete, pumice, pigment, epoxy
2021
12 x 10 ½ x 4 ½ in

PROVENANCE
ArtistIn //3, Krieger collages clay, concrete, pumice, and epoxy, creating a sculptural form that feels at once
contemporary and archaeological. The materiality of each component creates tension, as Krieger activates thenegative space between her ceramic pieces with bubbling concrete. Much like the caesurae the work is named
for, the piece creates a moment of pause for the viewer to reflect on process, material, and composition.

George Ohr

George Ohr

Bud vase

Bud vase

Glazed earthenware

Glazed earthenware

1897-1900

1897-1900
3 ½ x 2 ¾ x 3 inches diameter
Impressed signature to underside ‘G. E. OHR, Biloxi,
Miss.’PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New Jersey

Collection Martin and Estelle Shack, New Jersey

George Ohr

George Ohr

Bud Vase

Bud Vase

Vase features pinches and a green and gunmetal glaze.

Glazed earthenware

Earthenware.

1897-1900

1897-1900

4.25 x 2.25 inches diameter3.5 x 2.5 x 2 inches

Impressed signature to underside ‘G. E. OHR, Biloxi,

Impressed signature to underside ‘G. E. OHR, Biloxi, Miss’
Miss.'PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Collection Martin and Estelle Shack, New Jersey

Collection Martin and Estelle Shack, New Jersey

Referred to by Ohr as his “Mud Babies,” these bud vases are excellent examples of how his work shifted from thesymmetrical towards a more naturalistic asymmetry, one of the hallmarks of Japanese design. Though not often
discussed in relation to Ohr’s work, the arts of Asia would have had a major influence on his work, especially of thistime period, encountered at the fairs he attended and exhibited at near the close of the 19th century.

George Ohr
TeapotFired stoneware
3 ¾ x 6 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches
Impressed signature to underside ‘GEO E. OHR BILOXI’PROVENANCE
Collection of Martin and Estelle Shack, NJ
This teapot is an example of what Ohr called his “Burnt Babies,” s​ aved by Ohr from the destruction of his
studio in the Biloxi fire of October 12, 1894. This incident added another dimension to the work, as the “Burnt
Babies” transcend the traditional aspects of Ohr’s work, lending a certain aspect of contemporaneity– ceramic
for art’s sake. As such, they resemble works by artists such as Masaomi Yasunaga, favoring formal qualities overfunction.

Janet Leach

Janet Leach

Untitled

Bottle Vase

Partially glazed stoneware

Stoneware

Janet Leach
Large Brown Stoneware Vessel
Stoneware
1971-72
15 x 20 in
PROVENANCE
Estate of Carolyn Chester

Jiha Moon

Jiha Moon

JangmiMum Heart

Earthenware, underglaze, glaze

Earthenware, underglaze, glaze, leather

2021

2020

13 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in

10 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 8 in

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistJiha Moon’s Jangmi pokes fun at functionality of form, prioritizing imagery that is simultaneously playful andunsettling. A self described “cartographer of cultures,” this piece embodies Moon’s skillful juxtaposition oftropes–from face jugs of the American South to East Asian representations of the tiger. She explores a
vocabulary of symbols that nod to issues of displacement, appropriation, and identity.

Jane Yang D’Haene

Jane Yang D’Haene

Moon Jar

Untitled

Stoneware, stoneware slip, porcelain slip, glaze

Stoneware, slip, glaze

2022

2022

9 x 7 1/2 in

14 x 14 ½ x 14 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistDerived form and color connect these vessels to the historical Moon jar, allowing D’Haene to embrace a newkind of imperfection in surface quality. The textural variations in the white glazing reveals a dark surface below,
nodding towards D’Haene’s process of layering to break convention.

Jane Yang D’Haene

Jane Yang D’Haene

Moon Jar

Moon Jar

Stoneware, slip, glaze

Stoneware, slip, glaze

2022

2022

6.5 x 7 in

10 x 9 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtist

The further introduction of color here deviates from the traditional Moon Jar, though still in conversation withthis greater history in form. Here, she experiments with both surface quality and color, completely abandoning
the monotonous white surface characteristic of the Moon Jar. Layers of glaze create an alternative type ofplanetary surface, creating a bounty of texture.

Jane Yang D’Haene

Jane Yang D’Haene

Moon Jar

Moon Jar

Stoneware, slip, glaze

Stoneware, slip, glaze

2022

2022

17.5 x 14.5 in

12.5 x 11 in

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistIn these pieces, D’Haene deviates from traditional form and color, individualizing the work even further. The
combination of brushwork, surface treatment and atypical form renders these objects as her own, creating her
own narrative for the Moon Jar, rather than a historical one.

Keiko Narahashi

Keiko Narahashi

palladium mirror

palladium flare

Glazed stoneware

Glaze, spray paint on stoneware

2019

2022

20 3/4 x 4 3/4 in

15 x 12 1/4 x 1 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistKeiko Narahashi
tidal pool
Glazed stoneware
2022
15 x 11 ½ x 1 inches
PROVENANCE
ArtistKeiko Narahashi
Color Plane
Glazed stoneware
2017
17 x 26 ½ x 9 ¼ inches with pedestal
Yellow Sun, 2017
9 x 9 x 7 inches
Blue green, 2020
6 x 4 x 5 inches
Small Black Arc, 2020
6 ½ x 5 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches
Violet, 2020
10 ¼ x 4 ½ x 4 inches
Orange Arc, 2015
15 x 10 x 8 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistKeiko Narahashi

Keiko Narahashi

the shadows are the body 1

the shadows are the body 2

Glaze, terra sigilata on stoneware

Glaze, terra sigilata on stoneware

2019

2019

15 ½ x 10 x 7 inches

19 ½ x 11 ½ x 9 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistMichi Itami
Untitled
Ceramic
20 ½ x 7 x 7 inches

PROVENANCE
Estate of the Artist

Michi Itami

Michi Itami

Untitled

Untitled

Ceramic

Ceramic

10 ¾ x 7 inches

13 ¼ x ¾ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Estate of the Artist

Estate of the Artist

Itami expands upon her work in two dimensions here, creating a flat plane for graphic exploration within asculptural context. Though Itami began her career as an artist in ceramics, she became well known for her workin other media, particularly printmaking, a practice which this piece is in clear relation to.

Miwa Neishi
Solo Vase
Stoneware2022
14 x 12 x 3 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistMiwa Neishi

Miwa Neishi

SpiderFire

Stoneware and glaze

Stoneware and glaze

2019

2022

3 ½ x 3 x 2 ½ inches

6 ½ x 7 x 3 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistMiwa Neishi

Miwa Neishi

Tri-pot

Alien Vase

Stoneware and glaze

Stoneware and glaze

2022

2022

6 x 1 x 4 ½ inches

6 ½ x 1 ½ x 7 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

ArtistArtistMasaomi Yasunaga
砕 Sai (Crumbling)
Glass, copper, kaolin, silver
2017
4 x 3 ¾ x 3 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga

Masaomi Yasunaga

Glaze, underglaze, color

Untitled

9 ¼ in x 3 ⅛ inches

Glaze, underglaze, color
2017
9 x 6 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Japan

Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga
Glaze, underglaze color
2017
6 ½ x 5 ½ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga

Masaomi Yasunaga

殻 Kara (Shell)

殻 Kara (Shell)

Glaze, colored glaze, kaolin

Glaze, colored glaze, kaolin

2017

2017

3 ½ x 3 x 3 inches

5 ½ x 8 x 6 inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Japan

Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga

Masaomi Yasunaga

溶ける器 , Tokeru utsuwa (Melting Vessel)

Fused Vessel

Glaze, colored glaze, kaolin

Medium2017

2017

4 ½ x 5 ½ x 6 inches

Size

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Japan

Private Collection, Japan

This sculptural vessel juxtaposes the possibilities of Yasunaga’s media, maintaining the liquidity of glaze incontrast to the amalgam of kaolin suspended by more textural glaze, mimicking earthen formations from which
the medium is drawn. This also gestures to the implied function of such a vessel, simultaneously denoting its
uselessness, as liquid oozes over the jagged edge.

Masaomi Yasunaga
溶ける壺, Tokeru tsubo (Fused pots)
Glaze, colored glaze, colored slip, kaolin
2017
27 ½ x 4 inches
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga
DaikokuGlaze, slip, kaolin
2017
7 ⅛ x 7 ⅞ x 7 ⅞ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan

Masaomi Yasunaga
Lidded Vessel
Glaze, underglaze, color
2017
4 ½ x 1 ½ x 1 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan
Description

Noguchi Etsuji
Clay and glaze
2018
7 x 3 ½ x 1 ½ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan
Etsuji’s practice is rooted in tradition, working with materials drawn from the earth. He uses surface to highlightthese materials, exploring the possibilities of centuries old clay and techniques within the framework of pared
down form.

Noguchi Etsuji

Noguchi Etsuji

Clay and bronze

Clay and bronze

2018

2018

5 ½ x 2 ¾ x 2 ½ inches

5 ½ x 2 ½ x 2 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Japan

Private Collection, Japan

Nick Mauss
Untitled 6
Glazed ceramic
2017
35 ¼ x 58 ⅞ inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistIn Untitled 6, Mauss integrates ceramic within the language of drawing and painting. Untitled 6 is comprised offour ceramic panels, each becoming the surface for a unique drawing/painting. While playing into the history of
the two dimensional plane in ceramic tilework, using the plane for art rather than ornamentation.

Nick Mauss
Askew
Glazed ceramic
2016
13 ¼ x 17 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistNick Mauss completely separates the ceramic from its history of form and function, instead creating a flat plane
to use as his canvas. Askew functions similarly to Untitled 6, playing into the history of abstract expressionism
within the bounds of the ceramic. Toeing the line between abstraction and figurative representation, Mauss toys
with the boundaries of representation, as well as surface, creating art instead of object.

Osamu Kojima
Blue 09-m02
Stoneware2009
6 x 9 x 7 inches

Peter Voulkos
Untitled (Vessel)
Glazed anagama-fired shigaraki stoneware with gouges
1997
4 ¾ x 7 ½ x 6 ½ inches

Voulkos embraces a tension between tradition and experimentation, using Shigaraki stoneware to create an
object that is indebted to history as much as modernity. The object’s constructed deconstruction lends to its
archaeological appearance, honoring the longstanding history of the medium, while exploring a modern
dissection of form.

Ruth Duckworth
MaMa Pot
Stoneware
Circa 1980
11 x 12 ½ x 11 ½ inches

Earthy and rugged, MaMa Pot reflects Duckworth’s modernist inclinations as much as her interest in ancient
sculpture. The stoneware vessel holds onto the softness of the MaMa form, a series by Duckworth so named fora young child who ran toward an unfired MaMa pot, hugged it, and exclaimed “Mama!”, while embracing themateriality of the clay.

Toshiko Takaezu
Momo
Stoneware with enclosed rattle
2006
5 ½ x 4 ¾ x 4 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
The Jimmy and Angela Clark Collection, Philadelphia
Takaezu’s abstract forms invite a multisensory consideration of the medium. Momo references a history ofvessels in the ceramic tradition but departs in functionality. Instead, the space within the vessel is closed off andrendered useless, instead defined by the rattle within. This allows for a consideration of the form’s interior bothas a void to be examined through the sonic qualities of ceramic and as a sculptural object.

Tanba wareTozan Ichino

Tanba ware bud vase

Tanba ware vase

Stoneware

Stoneware

Circa 1940Date

7 ½ x 5 ½ x 5 ½ inches

8 ⅝ x 4 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Private Collection, Kobe, Japan

Tanba Ware (also spelled Tamba) refers to pottery produced in Sasayama in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. It isalso considered one of the six ancient kilns of Japan, with production beginning at the end of the Heian period(794-1185). The surface of Tanba Ware is often more decorative than Bizen Ware, including carved or sculpted
motifs, as well as a more controlled application of slips and natural ash glazes. This vessel exemplifies thischaracteristic control in form and ornamentation.

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

Untitled

Untitled

MediumGlazed ceramic

Circa 1960

Circa 1960

5 ¾ x 4 ½ x 4 ½ inches

11 ⅜ x 8 ⅝ x 9 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Unknown Artist
Tripod vessel
Glazed ceramic
Circa 1960
5 ⅜ x 3 ½ x 3 ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

Untitled

Okimono, Suiseki

Glazed ceramic

Antique Japanese viewing stone, wooden standCirca 1970

6 x 5 x 3 ½ inches

6 ½ x 5 x 5 ½ inches

PROVENANCE

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, New YorkPrivate Collection, New York

Unknown Artist
Storage Jar
Glazed ceramic
Meiji period (1868-1912)
14 ⅜ x 7 ⅞ x 7 ⅞ inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York
Description

Unknown Artist
Untitled
American Primitive Ceramic
19th century
5 x 3 x 3 inches

Unknown Artist
Ikebana Basket
Antique Japanese woven wood
14 x 8 x 7 ½ inches

Ryukyu Yachimun-ware

Unknown Artist

Bud vase

Glazed Vessel

Glazed stoneware

Glazed ceramic

Circa 1990

10 x 6 x 5 inches

9 ½ x 4 x 4 inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Kobe, JapanUnknown Artist
Tea Bowl
British ceramic tea bowl
Circa 1960s
3 ½ x 4 ½ x 5 inches

William J O’Brien
Bark Container
Ceramic
2022
23 ½ x 9 x 8 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistBark Container examines the functional history of the medium, while working within O’Brien’s formal
vocabulary. He plays into a history of mid-century art and design, embracing a biomorphic abstraction that rides
the line between natural, sculptural, and functional form.

William J O’Brien
BracerCeramic
2022
16 x 25 x 3 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistBracer allows the ceramic to function as a plane for abstraction. Devoid of function, the piece explores the
sculptural qualities of the ceramic, as well as its graphic possibilities.

William J O’Brien
Moon Shelf
Mixed media
2022
24 x 15 ½ x ¼ inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistYoona Hur
Every Turn is Sacred
Stoneware plinth with matte glaze, clay rock with 22k gold leaf
2022
19 ½ x 19 ½ x 20 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistEvery Turn is Sacred can be viewed, in terms of color, surface treatment, and its general outline, as aninterpretation of the Joseon “Moon Jar.” Hur upends this by filling what would be negative space and breaking
the continuity of the surface. She implies a new function, imploring to be interacted with in its scale, but
prohibiting such interaction by placing a rock on the surface created. As such, the piece becomes sculptural,creating space to contemplate form and function.

Yoona Hur
Clay Rocks: Night Ocean
Stoneware with Japanese silver leaf
2022
11 x 6 x 3 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistYoona Hur
Earth Cloud-I
Hanji with acrylic on canvas in white maple frame
2022
51 x 35 x 1 ½ inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistYoona Hur
Mother-Daughter
Hanji with acrylic on canvas in mahogany frame
2022
42 x 39 x 1 ½ inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistThis diptych speaks to Hur’s emphasis on materiality. This piece, made of hanji, a Korean mulberry bark paper,is in conversation with ceramic in both its natural origin and malleability. Hur utilizes both the two and three
dimensional capabilities of hanji, creating subtle variations in surface texture.

Yui Tsujimura
Hanging vessel
Clay and natural glaze
2016
5 ½ x 5 x 3 inches

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan
This hanging vase is characteristic of Tsujimura’s work with blown natural ash, creating an almost crystalline
appearance in blues and greens. Tsujimura embraces Japanese ceramic tradition, using clays from Shigaraki andIga to expand upon the history of medieval unglazed stoneware forms, such as this hanaike.

Yuta Segawa
Miniature Vessels

PROVENANCE
ArtistPrivate Collection, New York
After developing his ceramic skills in Japan and China, Yuta Segawa moved to London, where he began his
pursuit of miniatures. The scale of these pieces consider the physical relationship between the artist and thework, expressing the challenge of the ceramic process, while also playing on artistry rather than usage. Their
iterative curation calls attention to the detail, craftsmanship, and individuality of each vessel.

Ernest Chaplet
Octopus Sculpture
Porcelain
1890
2 x 6 ⅜ x 10 inches

PROVENANCE
ArtistCollection of Émile Lenoble
Collection of Jacques Lenoble
Collection of Hélène Lenoble
Collection of the Lenoble Family (Le Cannet)
Ernest Chaplet was a key figure in the French decorative arts movement in the mid to late 19th century, best
known for his functional ceramics. This octopus, one of his more rare purely decorative pieces, is consistent with
his use of polychromatic glazes, sinuous form, and fine sculptural detail.

Francesco Simeti
UntitledGlazed ceramic
2019
33 ½ x 13 ¾ x 13 ¾ inches

Francesco Simeti
Bellflower IV
Glazed Raku
2018
10 x 7 x 4 ½ inches

Courtesy of Alison Bradley Projects
Copyright of Alison Bradley Projects
526 W. 26th Street, Suite 814
New York, NY 10001