Until recently, Japanese ceramic art has been a male-dominate field, with women forbidden even to touch a kiln.
The French Connection: Five Japanese Women Ceramists and a Passion for France highlights the work of a handful of female artist who have overcome this weighty tradition to achieve international success. Ranging in age from their forties to their seventies, all were classically trained in Japan yet chose to further their studies in France, where they found the freedom to express their individual voices and become pioneers in their medium.
Inset: The Mirviss's show of Japanese women ceramists who studied in France includes Chieko Katsumata's "Sculpture in the form of a pumpkin" and Kasuko (an added correction: the artist's name is Yasuko) Sakurai's "Porcelain sculpture with torn openings" (both from 2008).
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