Masaomi Yasunaga

Masaomi Yasunaga is a well-known Japanese artist, working primarily in sculpture. 

Biography of Masaomi Yasunaga

Masaomi Yasunaga was born in 1982 in Osaka, Japan. In 2006, he received an MA in Environmental Design from Osaka Sangyo University.

Throughout his career, Yasunaga was a creative resident at various institutions, including Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (2010), ARCTICLAY 3rd SYMPOSIUM (2013), National Tainan University of the Arts (2014). 

In 2020, Masaomi Yasunaga served as an artist-in-residence at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park.

His recent solo exhibitions include "Clouds in the Distance" at Lisson Gallery in London (2023), "In Holding Close" at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts in Auburn (2023), "Intersection of Dreams" at Palomar Foundation in Pognana Lario (2022), "Looking Afar" at Lisson Gallery in New York (2022), and many more.

Yasunaga's artworks have also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including "Keramik" at Buchmann Galerie in Berlin (2023), "Enamel & Body/Ceramics" at Fondation d'Enterprise Hermes in Ginza (2023), "A Matter of Life and Death" at Thomas Dane Gallery in Napoli (2022), among others. 

Currently, the artist lives in Iga-Shi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, where he continues to work. 

Masaomi Yasunaga's Art Style

During his time at university, Masaomi Yasunaga defined his creative path under the guidance of Satoru Hoshino, a second-generation advocate of the avant-garde ceramic group 'Sodeisha.' Yasunaga continues the Sodeisha group's legacy of experimentalism by emphasizing the creative process, with a central focus on sculptural form rather than the object's utilitarian function. 

Initially, many of Yasunaga’s works were inspired by traditional functional pottery forms such as vessels and plates. Reflecting on the cycle of life and death, Yasunaga responded to the passing of his grandmother a decade ago by creating burned white porcelain objects and shells, symbolizing themes of emptiness, loss, and fleeting existence. These existential concepts persist in his current work.

Yasunaga's recent creations cannot be strictly categorized as ceramics since they lack clay in their final forms. While pottery typically involves shaping clay, firing it in a kiln, and applying a glaze, Yasunaga utilizes glaze as the primary medium for constructing his sculptures. He incorporates unconventional materials such as feldspars, whole rocks, metal, or glass powders. These forms are then embedded in layers of sand or kaolin (unrefined porcelain clay) to maintain their structure during the firing process. Following cooling, Yasunaga's sculptures undergo a studio process akin to archaeological excavation and discovery.

The resulting objects, mainly non-functional vessels, shells, and empty containers, often resemble archaeological artifacts lost and then rediscovered. Aesthetically, these sculptures possess both primitive and contemporary qualities, appearing as remnants of human culture that have been reclaimed by nature, suggesting the dominance of natural forces over humanity's creations.