MASATOMO TOI
CLAY & ME
09.08.24 ~ 25.08.24
My art is deeply captivated by the softness and imperfection of clay as a material. The core of my work is the expression of inner self and the cathartic process of deep introspection expressed through touching the material and creating form. The softness, natural imperfection, and variability of clay are imbued with the spirit of wabi-sabi, which is that beauty resides in the idea of the imperfection and transience of all things.
The works in Clay & Me encapsulate the visual and emotional experiences of living in Melbourne over the last twelve. Emotionally, the city’s culture and way of life resonated deeply within me, leading to profound personal transformation. Visually, I was intrigued by the ageing architectural facades of Collingwood and Fitzroy which formed a new appreciation for the beauty of modern urban environments.
I combined these experiences from Melbourne with some of my Japanese heritage by taking inspiration from the tattered rags (boro) of Tōhoku, the chawan Bakōhan and Seppō, and using the discarded waste of the Mino area in the creation of the works. A feeling of new beauty is born through this multi-layering and coordination of self, discarded materials, obsolescence and the passage of time.
- Masatomo Toi
Photography: Alberto Zimmermann
CLAY & ME
Lesley J KEHOE (BA MA FRAS)
Masatomo Toi (b. 1992) joins a centuries-long line of creative ceramicists in the arts of Japan. In doing so in the 21st century world of contemporary art, he straddles East and West, tradition and independence, kōgei and art, function and autonomous abstraction, technique and concept. The current questioning of these divisions is leading to a fusion of philosophical thinking and academic classifications that allows significant freedom for international artists.
Self-expression is the driving creative force in Toi’s works. Clay is the chosen medium for this creativity. Toi identifies strongly as a ceramicist, tōgeika, rather than as an artist, geijutsuka, and likens working with clay to sandplay therapy, hakoniwa ryōhō. Seen here is the interweaving of tradition and independence, of Eastern and Western art philosophies. This weaving together of seemingly disparate threads is further evident in the range of influences on Toi’s thinking and creative output.
Toi entered Ishōken, the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Centre, with a thought to create ‘shokki’(domestic tableware), this having a ready market in Japan and as a path toward responsible employment. The Mino area of Japan where Toi-san lives, creates over 60% of the total ceramic production of Japan. It is also home to the traditional wares of Shino and Oribe and other Momoyama period ceramics, many related to the tea tradition, housed at the Mino Ceramic Art Museum, and to the architecturally inspiring Museum of Modern Ceramic Art with its international ceramics triennales. He notes that it is increasingly a gathering point for young artists seeking to express themselves within this background.