The Kikuchi Beinnale XI at the Tomo Museum
This international ceramics competition only takes place every two years, but when it does, it never fails to knock my socks off. Every single piece is utterly unique and an exquisite example of the ceramicist’s technical mastery, while showcasing an incredibly wide range of styles and techniques.
And what makes the Tomo Museum my favorite ceramics museum in all of Japan is that the exhibits are designed with as much artistry as the pieces on display. Each setting is designed to perfectly showcase the qualities of the art, while framing it as past of the larger statement.
This museum designs lush, custom-made backgrounds to complement each piece to the fullest…
and lighting to cast shadows that highlight a piece’s translucency or intricate form.
The graphic geometry of each gallery’s architecture sets the stage…
and the pieces are chosen to present a world-wide range of inspiration, from this artist’s commentary on change and permanence (as shown by the left-hand “spouts” being made of ever-changing copper and the right hand ones formed from fired clay)…
to unique forms taken by age-old techniques (like these hand-built vessels that look as though they were sculpted from whipped cream).
Pieces that innovate by combining other materials with the clay…
and imagine old forms with modern faces are all represented.
Pieces that bring new animation to classic Japanese techniques and motifs…
sit side by side with the same techniques used on deconstructed household items, elevating them to sculptural art.
Extraordinarily skilled examples of traditional Arita celadon-ware takes the form of this quietly useful box…
and this purely delightful swirling globe.
The controlled glaze drips perfected over centuries at the Six Ancient Kilns reach new levels of sophistication…
and the Japanese love of what’s on the inside being different from what’s on the outside…
is represented by several gorgeous entries.
The show includes ceramics that take the fine art of decorated porcelain to new heights…
and in unexpected directions
And some pieces demonstrate that deep mastery of kiln knowledge that predicts which parts of a piece will darken and which will stay pale.
Imagine the confidence this master of the ceramic arts needed to spend countless hours building this piece, sure in the knowledge it will come out of the kiln perfectly glazed and unbroken!
More strictly sculptural pieces explore every influence, from classical…
to whimsical…
to shapes that become more and more intriguing, the closer you get. (How DID the artist achieve that curiously suede-like finish?)
Some of the most stunning pieces defy description…
and make you itchy to own one, even though you can’t really explain why.
And some—like this one in the walk-in gallery at the very end—are intriguing on every level, from their pleasing forms to the idea behind them. This one sums up the eleventh biennale perfectly: it’s all about clay made into something that looks one way (light as a balloon) but is in fact another (made from individual pieces that are held together only by their own weight).
The Kikuchi Biennale only runs until March 22, 2026, so if you’re in Tokyo right now, GO!
Musee Tomo
Open: Every day, except closed Mon and during exhibition preparation periods
Hours: 11:00 – 18:00
Admission: Adults ¥1100
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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