Kazunori Hamana
Tsubos
Blue Mountain School presents a solo exhibition of works by Japanese ceramicist Kazunori Hamana.
Working from his farm in the Shiga prefecture, Hamana explores the relationship between his vessels and the surroundings in which they are made. Hamana utilises locally sourced clay and traditional techniques as he references the Japanese tsubo — a functional jar used to store and process crops.
Whilst Hamana’s distinctive mark-making displays his own presence as the artist, he counteracts this by leaving the works outdoors, inviting the influence of the elements. The patina that naturally occurs reaffirms the tsubos’ inherent relationship to nature, and reinforces Hamana’s own kinship with his working landscape.
Kazunori Hamana (b. 1969) lives and works in Chiba, Japan. Hamana studied at MiraCosta College in San Diego, California before returning to Japan, where he works as a ceramicist, farmer and fisherman. Selected solo shows include Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery, Brussels (2022), Kazunori Hamana in collaboration with Yukiko Kuroda, Blum and Poe, Los Angeles (2021), Curator’s Cube, Tokyo (2020) and Blue Mountain School, London (2019). Previous group shows include William McKeown curated by Jonathan Anderson, Château La Coste, Aix-en-Provence (2022), Minoru Nomata, Kazunori Hamana, White Cube, Paris (2021), Ooido Syoujou, Kazunori Hamana, Blum & Poe, Tokyo (2021), and Echoes of Quiller Orchardson, Ben Hunter, London (2019). Kazunori Hamana is represented by Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery and Blum and Poe.
Past Exhibitions
Kazunori Hamana
9 January – 28 February 2019
