Mug
Takeshi Yasuda
Life Story
The gentle lean of this thrown porcelain mug captures the movement of clay on the wheel (see also 50786). Ribs around the centre further emphasise its curves as does its thick semi-circular handle. The rhythm seen here is also characteristic of Takeshi Yasuda’s earlier works (see 50781 and 50782). The transparency and crackled effect of the celadon’s glaze gives the form a fragility and preciousness.
Yasuda was apprenticed at the Daisei-Gama Pottery in Mashiko, Japan and set up his first studio there from 1963 to 1966.He moved to England in 1973 where he made functional ceramics in earthenware and low-fired porcelain. In the early 2000s, a desire to deepen his understanding of porcelain led him to Jingdezhen in China, an area renowned for its porcelain production. Here he became the director of the Pottery Workshop between 2005 and 2011. In 2011 Yasuda co-founded the RedHouse ceramics studio in Jingdezhen with ceramicist Felicity Aylieff and curator Baixu Xiong. [1]
Sim Panaser, August 2020
[1] RedHouse leaflet, <https://www.aic-iac.org/wp-content/uploads/RedHouse-Leaflet-Introduction-2018.pdf> [accessed 14/08/20]
Further Reading
Boyle, Sally, ‘Opening Up’, Ceramic Review, 197 (September/October 2004), 18-21
<http://www.redhouseceramics.com/> [accessed 14/08/20]
<http://www.takeshiyasuda.com/> [accessed 14/08/20]
Takeshi Yasuda: Made in China, (Goldmark Gallery, 2013), documentary film, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MSxEAekY1U> [accessed 14/08/20]
Not on display
Title/Description: Mug
Born: 2003 c.
Measurements: h. 110mm
Accession Number: 50785
Historic Period: 21st century
Credit Line: Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from Leslie Birks Hay and allocated to SCVA, 2016
Takeshi Yasuda: "Made in China" feature film
An extraordinary documentary about internationally acclaimed potter Takeshi Yasuda. Filmed on location in China, this documentary follows Yasuda as he prepares for his 2013 ceramics exhibition at Goldmark Gallery, in celebration of his 70th birthday. The film shows Yasuda at work in his studio in Jingdezhen, porcelain capital of China. It follows him through the amazing street markets, the Labyrinth, and we visit the crafts-men and women whose working practices haven't changed for centuries. Yasuda discusses his love for clay and the challenges of working with porcelain in this intimate and moving portrait of a true artist.
