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Jun Kaneko
Klein Art Works
Ceramic art is one of the most fickle mediums available to artists, however, Jun Kaneko shows his mastery in the art form in four "dangos" and sixteen new wall slabs at Klein Art Works now through November 24. Mr. Kaneko began his career as a painter, and became a sculptor after migrating from Japan. His current fame stems from the large "dangos" (the name means "dumpling" in Japanese) which are large pillow-like ceramic structures on which he has applied a graphic or artistic element.
The formidable dangos are technical feats of ceramic skill not undertaken often in this century. In order to create a dango, Mr. Kaneko must sometimes create the work upside down: using thick clay slabs to form the walls or the structure; allowing bottom layers to dry enough to hold top construction layers yet still be plastic enough to incorporate the next layer of slabs; and finally, hoping that the work dries to completion without cracking or breaking, and survives both the bisque and glaze firings without exploding. Much of Mr. Kaneko's work does not survive this gruelling process. The works that do survive have an immediacy dictated by their imposing, human-like size. They are stele-like markers, billboards, and entities, with graphic surfaces not unlike tribal tattoo designs on some, and others simply a three-dimensional canvas for non-objective study. The name of these objects suggest that they might also be containers for something, the contents suggested by the non-objective design on the outside. This show contains only four dangos and concentrates instead on wall slabs finished while Mr. Kaneko was in residence at the European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherlands. The wall slabs are an extension of the surface study of the dangos -- though certainly easier to transport between the Netherlands and the United States. On the dangos, Mr. Kaneko's surfaces become part of the personality of the piece. On the wall slabs, all of which are approximately 29" x 21", Kaneko plays with low-fire glazes and techniques. Some are hung together to form diptychs. They are more direct non-objective studies, some with a distinct traditional Japanese ceramic design influence, as in 01-06-47, 01-06-50, and 01-06-51. Others are more in tune with a Western graphic design influence from the 1980's, as in 01-06-68. A couple of the wall slabs are primitively non-objective with crayon-colors and simple designs, as in 01-06-27.
As a whole, Kaneko's work stems from a genuinely deceptive non-objective abstract school of thought. He enters the studio without a preconceived notion of what he is to produce, but what occurs produces the final image. The feeling and emotion of that day is severed from psychological attachment to any type of representational symbols or objects, yet it is expressed within the final "image." The art to the viewer then becomes whatever the viewer wishes or sees within the art: a Rorschach ink-blot test. The truth behind non-objective abstract art is, of course, the commonality of imagery shared within a cultural context that art viewers utilize. Social interaction persuades viewers to conclude what a work is about, and/or the intent of the artist, even though viewers may eventually or even concurrently hold separate personal interpretations. Intent of the artist exists simply in the act of creation of a work of art, whether the artist believes he has intent or not.
The non-objective studies are more successful in the works that focus on Zen-like studies in design -- the black-stripe and white-stripe diptych, 01-06-62; the blue-and-yellow diptych, 01-06-56; or the brush-stroke "studies" 01-06-47, 01-06-50, and 01-06-51 (much like Roy Lichtenstein's studies of the brushstroke) -- than in the multicolored, focusless Wall Slab 01-06-27. In the former, there is a finality of surface -- exciting, experimental as well as experiential -- that emanates from the work. White slip crackels over the surface of 01-06-73 next to a solid manganese and iron black pearlescent surface. Two red surfaces coexist next to each other with a subtle variation in design between the two wall slabs in 01-06-60. These are works that examine dualities and similarities through surface in a way that painting cannot, and not simply through non-objective or minimalist design: the ceramic art of firing a clay body, mixing and applying glaze add a degree of process to the work. The viewer is forced to consider the object and not just the surface or the image. Klein Art Works is a beautiful space to show Jun Kaneko's work, with a massive showroom and ample floor space for the dangos. The show is well curated, giving adequate attention to Mr. Kaneko's work. It is well worth the visit. It's not everyday that ceramics takes a center stage in a contemporary art gallery, and the immediacy of Jun Kaneko's wall slabs and dangos helps ensure that ceramics as an art form will not disappear from the contemporary art scene any time in the near future.
Two good internet sources on Jun Kaneko:
A book has been published on Jun Kaneko:
On the art of Ceramics:
On Japanese Ceramics: --Richard Donagrandi Richard Donagrandi is the Executive Producer and brains behind ArtScope.net. He is an artist with a BFA from Michigan State, and currently shares a studio space in the Flat Iron Building on the corner of Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues. You can visit his homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~donagrandi Editorial Note: Books mentioned in www.artscope.net reviews may be purchased through this site's Amazon.com link. |
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