Masaya Imanishi

Style

Producing porcelain with blue and black underglaze decorations. I consider underglaze decorated artwork as a combination of figurative art and pictorial underglaze decorating techniques. The theme of the artwork and what is being expressed should be something visually convincing. My main theme when working on my artwork is "the energy of nature". I use the elements of nature such as trees, soil, water, wind, sound etc. as motifs for my work, and I try to express myself in the underglaze decorated porcelain pieces. I not only use traditional pigments such as zaffer, but I also use pigments that I developed myself to make "black and white porcelain" while following the traditional techniques.

Biography

• 1947
  Born in Akishino Town, Nara as the third son of ceramic artist Hiroshi Imanishi
• 1952
  Loses his hearing in his left ear and develops APD (Auditory Processing Disorder)
• 1974
  After graduating from Kyoto City University of Arts, studies blue underglaze decoration of porcelain directly from Living National Treasure Yuzo Kondo for 8 years
• 1979
  Becomes Full Member of the Japan Kōgei Association
• 1984
  Publishes "Yakimono wo Tsukuro (Let's Make Pottery)" (Bunken Shuppan)
• 1991
  Dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as overseas artist trainee for one year in the US
• 1993
  Teaches at the Pennsylvania State University as associate professor
• 1997
  Produced artwork as guest lecturer at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Artist in Residence Program
• 1999
  Produced artwork and held a solo exhibition at Southern Illinois University
• 2004
  Solo exhibition at Holter Museum of Art (Helena, Montana, USA)
• 2006
  Invited to submit to the Archie Bray Foundation International Exhibition
• 2007
  Produced artwork and held a solo exhibition as guest researcher at Kansas State University
• 2013
  Solo exhibition and workshop at Longwood University (Virginia, USA)
• 2014
  Lecturer of "Japanese Ceramics" at Rhode Island School of Design
• 2019
  Produced trophy platter for the "Nippon Export Award" on request of the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Japan (produced 11 times from 2004)
• 2020
  Met oriental art researcher Stephen Addiss and produced an ink painting
• <Solo exhibitions>
  Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, USA etc.

Public Collections

• Nara Prefectural Museum of Art
• The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
• Tsurui Museum of Art
• Nara City
• Ando Town, Nara Prefecture
• Hiromine Shrine, Himeji City
• Embassy of Belgium in Japan
• Embassy of Luxembourg in Japan
• Minneapolis Institute of Art
• The Cleveland Museum of Art
• Everson Museum of Art
• Canton Museum of Art
• Seattle Art Museum
• Holter Museum of Art
• Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art (Kansas State University)
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Art and Design West Gallery
• Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (Utah State University)
• Archie Bray Foundation
• Montana State Government

Official Site / Social Media etc.

• Official Site
• Instagram