Tashima Etsuko

Exhibitions
biography

Tashima, a graduate of Osaka University of Art, has been exhibiting regularly since the mid-1980s. Her sculptures are consistently drawn from nature, consisting of large, colorful biomorphic forms. Her earlier work incorporated a wide array of polychrome glazes, which were in part a reflection of the aesthetics of her teacher Yanagihara Mutsuo (b. 1934) at Osaka Art University (where she now teaches). For the past decade, she has refined her palette and streamlined her forms by combining pastel colored glass elements with porcelain bodies to make elegant and dazzling flower-like “cornucopia” sculptures. These works have captivated both critics and collectors, while garnering her prestigious awards.
1959 Born in Osaka
1981 Graduated with a degree in ceramics from the Osaka University of Arts
1996 Became professor in ceramics department at the Osaka University of Arts
2001 Became official member of International Academy of Ceramics

Awards:

1992 Sakuya konohana Award by the city of Osaka
2004 Takashimaya Cultural Trust Fund

Selected Public Collections:

Chazen Art Museum, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ichikawa City Healthcare Center, Chiba, Japan
Izu Kannami-cho Welfare Center, Shizuoka, Japan
Kanazawa 21st Century Museum, Ishikawa
Kutani-ware Technical Training Center, Ishikawa
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
Museuo de Arte Moderno, La Casa de Japón, Buenos Aires
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton MA
Takamatsu City Museum of Art
Tashima Etsuko
bio pt 1

Born 1959, Osaka, Japan

A graduate of Osaka University of Arts who studied under Yanagihara Mutsuo (b. 1934), TASHIMA ETSUKO is now a tenured faculty member in ceramics, one of the first women to achieve this distinction. Inspired by nature, her sculptures consist of large, colorful, biomorphic forms that incorporate a wide array of polychrome glazes, in part a reflection of her former teacher’s aesthetic. She has been exhibiting regularly since the mid-1980s. For the past decade, she has refined her palette and streamlined her forms; combining pastel-colored cast-glass elements with stoneware bodies to create elegant and dazzling flower-like “cornucopia” sculptures often exhibited in large groupings and room-sized installations.

Her work can be found in such museums as Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA; Museuo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan; Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan; and Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA; among many others.
bio pt 2

Selected Public Collections:

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
Ichikawa City Healthcare Center, Japan
Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Japan
Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani-ware Technical Training Center, Japan
Izu Kannami-cho Welfare Center, Japan
Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Japan
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Japan
Museo de Arte Moderno, La Casa de Japón, Buenos Aires, Argentina
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan
Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA
Toyama Glass Art Museum, Japan
Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Japan
Takashimaya Archives, Osaka, Japan
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT