AJIKI HIRO (b.1948)
1948 Born in Hirata, Shimane Prefecture. 1968 Left the oil painting program at the Musashino Art School 1971-73 Traveled to more than 30 countries in South Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa 1974 Entered the Shimane Prefecture Ceramic Center Soon thereafter built his studio and kiln in the Shimane, focusing on teabowls or chawan in modern raku ware with checkered, salt-glaze, and metallic decoration (Basara). 1981-83 Traveled again to Egypt, Pakistan, India and Nepal 1984 Built semi-underground kiln (anagama) in Hirata, Shimane Prefecture. Traveled to the United States 2005 Work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Awards:
1987 Grand Prize, Modern Tea Forms Exhibition (Chanoyu zōkei ten), Tanabe Museum of Art, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture. The annual exhibition, established in 1984, celebrated the fifth anniversary of the museum. The competition is juried by many of Japan's top critics, most prominently by Hayashiya Seizo. Hundreds of works are submitted each year for the six- member jury (again won in 2000 and 2003). This prize-winning teabowl was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1996 Sen Sōshitsu Prize, 4th Tankō Biennial for Tea Ceramics 1998 Encouragement Award, 5th Tankō Biennial for Tea Ceramics 2000 Excellency Award, Tanabe Museum of Art, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture 2003 Encouragement Award at Tanabe Museum of Art, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
Solo Exhibitions:
2002 Keio Art Salon, Shinjuku, Tokyo Gallery Ichirin, Nakano, Tokyo 2005 Gallery Takasegawa, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture Garden Silk Mills, Ltd., Mumbai, India, accompanied by a tea ceremony at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai 2006 Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama Prefecture Solo exhibition and tea ceremony, Gaislautern, Germany Performed a tea ceremony “Cubisme” in Tokyo 2008 Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama Prefecture 2010 Performed tea ceremony, titled “Tribute to Maria Serrano,” created teabowls, then exhibited Los chawanes de María Serrano, Casa Luis Barragán, Mexico D.F. 2011 Performed a tea ceremony, titled “Basara”, Ojiya, Niigata
JOAN B MIRVISS LTD JAPANESE FINE ART 39 EAST 78TH STREET, 4TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10075 Phone: 212-799-4021 Fax: 212-721-5148 www.mirviss.com
Group Exhibitions:
1999 Performed open-air tea ceremonies in various venues near Thimphu, Bhutan Featured in NHK Yakimono Tanbō 2002 One Hundred Years of Contemporary Ceramics in Japan, Gifu Contemporary Ceramic Art Museum 2009 Collection exhibition, Museum of Modern Ceramic Arts, Gifu 2011 E no aru chawan ten (Illustrated Teabowls), Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo 2012 Created Raku teabowls, workshops and performed tea ceremony, Santiniketan, India 2013 The World Between Two Hands, Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., NY
Public Collection:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore
References:
Gendai no Nihon tōgei: Sanin (Japanese Contemporary Ceramics: Sanin area) (Tokyo: Tankōsha, 1989), 14-17.
Toh, vol. 79: Chugoku Shikoku hen (Chugoku and Shikoku Potters) (Kyoto: Kyoto Shoin, 1993), 1-11.
Sekimon (Stone gate) (Shimane: published by Ajiki Yoshiro, 2000).
“Contemporary Tea Bowls,” Honoho Geijutsu no. 72 (Tokyo: Abe shuppan, 2002), 52.
Mukherjee, Dalia, “Magic in ceramic,” The Telegraph Howrah (Friday 16 March, 2012): 8.
“50 persons representing Japanese ceramic art,” Honoho Geijutsu no. 112 (Tokyo: Abe shuppan, 2012), 32.
JOAN B MIRVISS LTD JAPANESE FINE ART 39 EAST 78TH STREET, 4TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10075 Phone: 212-799-4021 Fax: 212-721-5148 www.mirviss.com