Masaomi Yasunaga is a Japanese Ceramics artist who has a Master’s degree in environmental design from Osaka Sangyo University where he was taught by Satoru Hoshino, a proponent of the ceramics group Sodeisha – a group characterized by biomorphic and slab-built geometric forms with an emphasis on the sculptural as opposed to the functional.

Following his mentor’s steps, Yasunaga creates forms with a strong emotive appeal and unconventional approach to the practice of ceramics. His 98 pieces exhibited at Libby Leshgold Gallery reveal the artist’s exploration of materials, where he has removed the clay and replaced it with the glaze as the primary material element. In order to counter the fragility of the glaze, Yasunaga buried all forms in sand, dirt, and other materials before the encased package is fired. The ceramics are then disinterred in a process similar to archeological excavation, reminding us of the transformational power of time, carrying both its devastation and beauty.

Masaomi Yasunaga has exhibited broadly in Japan but only had his first American exhibition at the private contemporary gallery Nonaka-Hill, in Los Angeles. The exhibition at the Libby Leshgold Gallery marks the first time his work is being shown in Canada.

Exhibition Details | Location: Libby Leshgold Gallery 520 E 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 0H2 |Date: 17.01.2020 – 29.03.2020 | Open Daily 12:00 to 17:00.

Featured Image: Courtesy of Nonaka-Hill.