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Miquel Barceló: Shigaraki Ceramics
Fergus McCaffrey, Tokyo
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Artists
Miquel Barceló
Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo is proud to present our first exhibition with the renowned Spanish artist Miquel Barceló (b. 1957). The exhibition Shigaraki Ceramics features fourteen works produced in 2023 in collaboration with ceramic artist Kazuya Furutani (b. 1976).
Barcelóʼs work exhibits a raw and rugged expression that captures the immediacy of gesture, addressing timeless and universal human concerns with the cycle of life, the wonder of nature, the presence of myth, and the meaning of human existence. Travelling extensively in Africa and Asia since his youth, he has studied and learned from ancient traditions such as Dogon in Mali and Jomon in Japan; with this knowledge, he has established his unique style in painting, ceramic, and sculpture which demonstrates a rugged authority and materiality. Plugging into a deep vein of human emotion and consciousness, Barcelóʼs expressive force and transcendent form have married ancient techniques with the tactile directness of Jean Dubuffet, Yves Klein, and Lucio Fontana.
Early recognition of Barcelóʼs paintings occurred at the 1981 Sao Paolo Biennial and then at Documenta 7 in 1982, where the acclaimed curator Rudi Fuchs exhibited Barcelóʼs works alongside the German Neo-Expressionist and Italian Transavantgardia artists that were rapidly gaining recognition. Representation by the legendary art dealers Bruno Bischofberger and Leo Castelli followed in 1984 and 1986 establishing Barcelóʼs international reputation as he continued to travel and exhibit globally.
Barceló made his first ceramic works in 1994 during a prolonged stay in Mali, working with the tradition of Dogon earthenware. That use of simple materials and traditional techniques captivated the artist and inspired an enduring fascination with clay, often at large scale, such as the 300 square meter relief sculpture at the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament in Palma, Mallorca (2001-07) and related projects such as the 1,600 square meter domed ceiling for the United Nations conference hall in Geneva.
Given Barcelóʼs intense and prolific production of ceramics, an encounter with the rich traditions of Japanese pottery was a natural extension of his practice, and a post-pandemic meeting with the renowned Shigaraki potter Kazuya Furutani opened the door to Barcelóʼs engagement with that 800-year-old ceramic tradition. Working together in the studio, Furutani and Barceló executed more than 40 hand-coiled vessels and flat panel works in which Furutani would provide traditional Shigaraki forms for Barceló to transform before the clay dried or became too brittle.
Barcelóʼs primordial and organic images of the deep sea
and earth, of arid deserts from Africa and the rocky
landscape and underwater marine universe of the Balearic
Islands, resonate with history, literature, poetry, myth, and music. His dramatic improvisations saw him twist protruding crabs out of the soft clay, incise insects deep into the surface, and set free springing fish; all were then subject to the unpredictable alchemical transformation of traditional Shigaraki firing, overseen by Furutani. That process was heavily influenced by the weather, as well as the placement of firewood, in the Anagama kiln built by the ceramicist himself. Over four days at temperatures of 1,300 degrees, under continual supervision by Furutani, the rich texture and colorings of Shigaraki ceramics organically emerged.
Barcelóʼs work exhibits a raw and rugged expression that captures the immediacy of gesture, addressing timeless and universal human concerns with the cycle of life, the wonder of nature, the presence of myth, and the meaning of human existence. Travelling extensively in Africa and Asia since his youth, he has studied and learned from ancient traditions such as Dogon in Mali and Jomon in Japan; with this knowledge, he has established his unique style in painting, ceramic, and sculpture which demonstrates a rugged authority and materiality. Plugging into a deep vein of human emotion and consciousness, Barcelóʼs expressive force and transcendent form have married ancient techniques with the tactile directness of Jean Dubuffet, Yves Klein, and Lucio Fontana.
Early recognition of Barcelóʼs paintings occurred at the 1981 Sao Paolo Biennial and then at Documenta 7 in 1982, where the acclaimed curator Rudi Fuchs exhibited Barcelóʼs works alongside the German Neo-Expressionist and Italian Transavantgardia artists that were rapidly gaining recognition. Representation by the legendary art dealers Bruno Bischofberger and Leo Castelli followed in 1984 and 1986 establishing Barcelóʼs international reputation as he continued to travel and exhibit globally.
Barceló made his first ceramic works in 1994 during a prolonged stay in Mali, working with the tradition of Dogon earthenware. That use of simple materials and traditional techniques captivated the artist and inspired an enduring fascination with clay, often at large scale, such as the 300 square meter relief sculpture at the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament in Palma, Mallorca (2001-07) and related projects such as the 1,600 square meter domed ceiling for the United Nations conference hall in Geneva.
Given Barcelóʼs intense and prolific production of ceramics, an encounter with the rich traditions of Japanese pottery was a natural extension of his practice, and a post-pandemic meeting with the renowned Shigaraki potter Kazuya Furutani opened the door to Barcelóʼs engagement with that 800-year-old ceramic tradition. Working together in the studio, Furutani and Barceló executed more than 40 hand-coiled vessels and flat panel works in which Furutani would provide traditional Shigaraki forms for Barceló to transform before the clay dried or became too brittle.
Barcelóʼs primordial and organic images of the deep sea
and earth, of arid deserts from Africa and the rocky
landscape and underwater marine universe of the Balearic
Islands, resonate with history, literature, poetry, myth, and music. His dramatic improvisations saw him twist protruding crabs out of the soft clay, incise insects deep into the surface, and set free springing fish; all were then subject to the unpredictable alchemical transformation of traditional Shigaraki firing, overseen by Furutani. That process was heavily influenced by the weather, as well as the placement of firewood, in the Anagama kiln built by the ceramicist himself. Over four days at temperatures of 1,300 degrees, under continual supervision by Furutani, the rich texture and colorings of Shigaraki ceramics organically emerged.
Schedule | Sep 9 (Tue) 2025-Dec 13 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://fergusmccaffrey.com/exhibition/miquel-barcelo-shigaraki-ceramics/ | ||||
| Venue | Fergus McCaffrey, Tokyo http://fergusmccaffrey.com/exhibitions/ | ||||
| Location | 3-5-9 Kita-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061 | ||||
| Access | 3 minute walk from exit A3 at Omotesando Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines. 11 minute walk from exit 5 at Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6447-2660 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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