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SAKAGISHI Yoshiou

2014

In the 1980s, SAKAGISHI Yoshiou (1961-) had presented installation works and performances in which materials reminiscent of strips of tape extended in vertical and horizontal directions within space. By the 1990s he had shifted the style of his practice, drawing attention for small works made by piling pieces of plaster to create band-like forms. Since the 2000s Sakagishi has continued to develop works made by stacking and firing miniscule balls of porcelain clay, for which he has received much acclaim. Sakagishi’s porcelain clay works come to achieve their forms as a result of accumulating piles from arbitrary points. Grains made from droplets of porcelain clay moistened with water connect with one another in vertical and horizontal directions through limited points of contact to realize the overall form of the works. What is conceived through the repeated act of making a single drop, waiting for it to dry, and then applying another drop on top are forms that naturally manifests in a manner akin to life phenomena. A condensed microcosm with a quiet air of tension thus comes to emerge. Initially starting from unglazed works, the series has developed and changed its form amidst the artist’s engagement with his material, such as introducing the use of glaze and adding color to the clay itself. The artist describes this means of production that seemingly eliminates arbitrariness, as that which aims towards “becoming.” Sakagishi’s works thus appear to convey a subtle resistance to current tendencies of contemporary art that necessitate a complex reading and interpretation of meaning.

Profile

SAKAGISHI Yoshiou
1961-

Infomation

Genre	Sculptures,installations
Material/technique	Porcelain
Dimensions	8.9×14×12.3cm
Acquisition date	2016
Accession number	2016-00-0063-000
Photo Credit	Photo: Ichiro Otani