Nagae Shigekazu

  • Exhibitions

  • biography

    There is a remarkable balance between artistry and technical brilliance within Nagae Shigekazu's work. Starting with two slightly different ikomi molds created according to the traditions of his native Seto, Nagae casts them with liquid porcelain. Following the drying and bisque-firing procedures, the two eggshell-thin forms are suspended inside one another within the kiln. The intense heat of the final firing causes them to fuse where glazed and to further distend, bend and drape around each other. The resulting natural movement leads to elegant shapes and lyrical curves, one form mirroring the other.

    1953 Born in Seto, Aichi
    1974 Completed Special Ceramic Study Course, Seto Ceramics Training Institute
    1977 Lecturer at Special Pottery Study Course, Seto Ceramics Training Institute
    1999 Lecturer at Bunsei Art College
    2001 Jury member, Trienniale de la Porcelaine Contemporaire, Nyon, Switzerland
    2002 Joined International Academy of Ceramics (IAC)
    2004 Cultural Prize, Art Selection by Aichi prefecture

  • Nagae Shigekazu

    Nagae Shigekazu

  • bio pt 1

    bio pt 1

    Born 1953, Seto, Aichi, Japan

    There is a remarkable balance between artistry and technical brilliance within the work of Nagae Shigekazu. Following the traditions of his native Seto, Nagae’s artistic process begins with two ikomi molds cast using liquid porcelain. Following drying and bisque-firing, the two eggshell-thin form are suspended inside one another within the kiln. The intense heat of the final firing causes the form to fuse where they were glazed and to further distend, bend and drape around each other. The resulting natural movement leads to elegant shapes and lyrical curves, one form mirroring the other.

  • banner image

    banner image

  • bio pt 2

    bio pt 2

    Selected Museum Collections:

    Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, NC
    Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives, UK
    Cernuschi Museum, Paris, France
    Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
    Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
    Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY
    Japan Foundation, New York, NY
    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
    Musée Asiana, Geneva, Switzerland 
    Musée Nationale de Cèramique, Sèvres, France
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
    Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
    Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
    National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
    Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
    Seto City Art Museum, Seto, Japan
    Shiga Cultural Ceramic Park, Japan
    Tokoname City Museum, Japan
    Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK