mami kato
tokonamE, AICHI PREFECTure, JAPAN
Mami Kato in her studio, Tokonami, Japan.
Mami Kato, From the Depth, 2019. Porcelain, 30 cm H.
Mami Kato, Form 1, 2018, Porcelain, 25 cm H.
Times such as this bring me back to my comfort piece: the bowl. A form that took me ages to make my very own.
When I am making a bowl, I am standing at the rim, looking at the depth therein; looking at my subconscious. At the same time, I am also standing inside it, looking up at the sky, looking up at the world outside my window. I find that this contemplative process brings me to a state of acceptance and forgiveness, freeing me of my insecurities. I am then my very own self, dreaming landscapes of omnipresence.
I have prided myself in making simple minimalistic works that lead viewers to experience a quietude that we often do not recognize inside of us. This is the silence I myself feel during these days of social lockdown. I have a batch of porcelain stained with pigments which I want to start working with. That spark is what I am looking for.
Archaeological items and found objects have spurred on my inspiration to create the sculptural bowls I am known for today. I know this interest came about while following my father to archaeology sites and digging out old pottery from mud with him.
All I needed was to look. There was inspiration everywhere.
Mami Kato, Form 2, 2018. Porcelain, 16 cm H
DURING THE LOCKDOWN, MAMI KATO continued Making meditative bowls that allow viewers to experience the quietude within us that we do not often recognize.
Mami Kato, Untitled, 2020. Porcelain, with black pigment added. Fired in reduction to 1280 degrees Celsius, with reduction cooling down to 1000 degrees C. 14 cm x 13 cm x 14 cm H. “These blue pieces are experiments: I added just a little black pigment into the porcelain, such that it turned grayish blue in the firing. If not for the Coronavirus lockdown, I would have kept on postponing these experiments!”
Mami Kato, Untitled, 2020. Porcelain, 26.5 cm x 17 cm x 9.5 cm H
Mami Kato, Untitled, 2020. Porcelain, 27 cm x 17 cm x 12 cm H
Mami Kato, Untitled, 2020. Porcelain, with black pigment added, producing a grayish-blue tint. Fired in reduction to 1280 degrees Celsius, with reduction cooling down to 1000 degrees C. 13.5 cm x 11 cm x 12 cm H
Mami Kato, Untitled, 2020. Porcelain, 11 cm x 11 cm x 25.5 cm H