October 25 -29

Artist present: Oct. 25th (Wed) - 26th (Thu)

Artist talk: Ken Mihara x Daniella Ohad x Wahei Aoyama: Oct. 26th (Thu) at 3pm

Pristine forests, rugged ravines, gentle rivers, quiet mountains. Such are the landscapes that artist Ken Mihara (1958- ) witnessed as a child, growing up in the majestic scenery of Izumo in Western Japan. With natural surroundings of great beauty, steeped in the mysticism of ancient Shinto lore, Mihara’s solemn stoneware are borne and influenced by deeply idyllic environs. His works are far more than odes to nature, however. They are, above all, a window into the artist’s soul, and are vestiges of self-expression that capture and convey the Ken Mihara of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Three years have passed since the debut of Mihara’s new series Sei (Awakening) at A Lighthouse called Kanata in September 2020, and this upcoming exhibition at the High Line Nine this October will mark the grand finale of the Sei series, capturing not only the final collection of Sei works, but simultaneously, their poignant farewell.

Brimming with stark silhouettes and emboldened firings, Mihara’s third and final unveiling of his latest series Sei (Awakening) is a collective tour de force, with 13 new works evidencing the 65-year-old artist at the height of his powers. We hope you will be able to visit the High Line Nine this Autumn to enjoy in person the new songs in fire and clay by Ken Mihara.

About the Gallery

Situated in the heart of Tokyo, A Lighthouse called Kanata was established in 2007 by Wahei Aoyama
to introduce contemporary Japanese art and aesthetics to a global audience. Focusing on both sculpture and painting, our artists represent an emerging movement in Japanese aesthetics wherein beauty, technique and materiality, elements that for centuries
have been essential to our understanding of art, are reinstated for the 21st century. Kanata embodies a “Return to Innocence” within contemporary art, and our artists push the boundaries of their respective materials to brave new heights.

About the Artist

With acquisitions by over 40 leading institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museums, Ken Mihara’s unglazed, multi-fired works have captivated a global audience, propelling the artist to become one of the premier artists within contemporary Japanese ceramics. Without question, it is Mihara who is emblematic of the Kanata aesthetic, and we are proud to have represented him for over 25 years.

The aesthetic qualities of serenity and the sublime coalesce within Mihara’s work. In essence, these qualities are the scents of Japan, a culture that has traditionally searched for beauty within wabi-sabi austerity, spiritual simplicity, and the cherishing of patina. Without the use of glaze, the natural landscapes found on his hand-built facades are borne through multiple, lengthy and difficult kiln-firings, with each firing revealing a new element to a work’s clay flavour that help to ‘unlock the memories trapped within clay.’ Yet perhaps most remarkable about Mihara is his ability to dramatically change styles over the years without diminishing the ‘essence’ found within his oeuvre. In fact, Mihara changes the physical appearance of his work every three to four years, altogether abandoning popular forms for new vistas.