5 - 27 September 2007
Galerie Besson




Seto has a history of over 1300 years as a pottery town. Clays, kilns, prototypes, glazes, brushes – anything and everything to do with ceramics can be obtained here.

Because the town is built on clay there is a distinct atmosphere here. The river that runs through the town is white and the air is often dusty. Should you visit a restaurant in Seto and start a conversation on pottery you better watch out because the old lady who works there is bound to say things like “I’ve decorated nothing but the faces of ceramic dolls for forty years” and you are no match for her with a smattering of knowledge. In other words you have to create something extraordinary to avoid obscurity amongst the five thousand plus residents who are, one way or another, all engaged in the making of ceramics.

I have been creating in such an environment for about thirty years. One could say that my work was nurtured by this town.

Incidentally, I make it a rule to have a conversation with clay when I am creating. You cannot control this natural object clay as it stretches shrinks, snaps, and bends.

The same goes for firing. The way the temperature rises inside the kiln differs from summer to winter. The results vary considerably according to the weather conditions such as rainy days or windy days.

In other words my partner is nature itself and I need to get along well with it otherwise the result will be unsatisfactory. All I do in the process is to give a little helping hand to the ever transforming clay to assist the way it wants to go.

Such is the daily routine that results in my work.

Shozo Michikawa

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Galerie Besson
15 Royal Arcade 28 Old Bond Street
London
United Kingdom
TEL : +44 (0) 20 7491 1706
enquiries@galeriebesson.co.uk
www.galeriebesson.co.uk