8 – 25 November 2018
about the exhibition
Tsubomi (flower buds) – “After the cold, grey winter, warm air blows through like a magical mist. Plants that patiently shivered through the cold months are finally on the move, following a voice that whispers, ‘spring is just in front of you!’ The pattern unfolds: three days cold…four days warm…three days cold…four days warm. Nature responds to this rhythm like a heartbeat, pumping up the energy of earth to the roots, to the trunks, to the branches and to the outstretched limbs. Drawing from this vibrant energy, round little parcels of new life appear. If you look closely, you’ll find delicate folded structures contained within them, waiting to burst. I wonder what this flower is going to look like?”
Beginning with a drawing or an idea, Kenji hand carves plaster models intuitively, following a technique learnt from a master mould maker in Japan during a recent residency. From these moulds, he creates individual slip cast pieces which are combined to form complex, geometric shapes. Kenji was born in Nara, Japan. After completing a Degree in Fine Art (Ceramics) at the Nara College of Fine Arts, he operated his own home studio, ‘Kenkoubou’, for six years before moving to Brisbane in 2004. Since moving to Australia, he has exhibited regularly both here and in Japan and has been a prize winner three times at the National Asahi Ceramic Art Competition in Japan. His work is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Gold Coast City Art Gallery and Newcastle Regional Gallery.
