Taizo KurodaÂ
White Porcelain - Cylinders
April 27 - June 30, 2023
Opening reception with the artist on
Thursday, April 27, 6-8pm
Yoshii Gallery
980 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10075
T. 212.744.5550 Â Â YOSHIIGALLERY.COM
If, hypothetically of course, the thoughts in my head were capable of existing purely as thoughts, completely independently of my flesh, my ideal cylinder would be “not something to look at, nor something to show, nor to hold, let alone have held. In truth, it would be something neither visible, nor something to make.”  - Taizo Kuroda
Starting April 27, Yoshii Gallery will present Taizo Kuroda White Porcelain – Cylinders, the first in a series of three annual exhibitions of Japanese potter Taizo Kuroda’s ceramics. Kuroda’s process is a unique combination of meditation and self-expression, which he uses to seek a harmonious balance of mind and body.
In fact, Kuroda is a pioneer of white porcelain, using only his hands and a pottery wheel to spin the purest of white clay into art.
Thin, nearly-translucent porcelain forms, often with an asymmetrical shape or features such as a pointedly-slender neck are the contemporary ceramic art of Japanese potter Taizo Kuroda.
Writing for The 189, Daniel Benning described Kuroda’s work as clean and pure porcelain works that emphasize perfection, even as they take on forms that are asymmetrical. He said Kuroda’s work was humbly simple, allowing the eye to focus on a lone “uncluttered object.”
By repeating the cylinder form, Kuroda attempts to reach the goal of perfection, only to realize that with his hand crafted execution, perfection is impossible. Instead he finds the beauty of human fragility in his works, leaving an asymmetry that is infinitely more interesting than most modern porcelains created from molds.
When he sits down at the wheel, Kuroda is not solely focused on the form, rather what it encloses, a miniature universe that is contained in these simple shapes. His work is as much about what we can’t see as it is about what we can see. It is this juxtaposition that brings substance and character to these pure and clean shapes.
His ceramics are characterized by their refined forms, commanding presence, and the subtle imperfections that show an artist’s touch; they are the perfect balance of ordinary and extraordinary. The delicate proportions and translucency of the porcelain create a simplicity and lightness that produces a feeling of tension and peaceful sensibility at the same time.
He is strict and humble in his execution, accepting only the most beautiful and nearly perfect, yet hand made objects you see before you today. The restrained expression and purity of his works, proves that he is not just an object maker, but that Kuroda is truly an artist.
Born in 1946 in Japan, Taizo Kuroda’s pursuit of his unique expression started in 1976 when he studied ceramics in Canada. He returned to Japan in 1981 to seek guidance from master ceramicist, Tatsuzo Shimaoka. In 1992, Kuroda developed his distinct style and has been using white porcelain combined with a spirit of free creativity since then.
Kuroda’s works have been exhibited extensively across the world including the notable exhibition Taizo Kuroda White Porcelain presented by Yoshii Gallery at Design Miami/Basel 2008, featuring a Tadao Ando designed water-table display for Kuroda’s works. His works are in the collections of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Kurorda currently lives and works in Futo, Izu Peninsula of Japan. He lives in a house built of cedar and cypress, with plain white walls, pure, simple and edited like his ceramics surrounded by trees and bamboo, overlooking Sagami Bay.
