Möbius strip, silver on brown iron glaze

After studying ceramic art under the likes of Kenkichi Tomimoto at the Kyoto City School of Arts (now Kyoto City University of Arts), Seto spent the time between March 1972 and August ’73 in the USA, where he encountered concepts of culture and ceramic arts different from the Japanese, which reportedly had a major impact on his work. This work that he made shortly after returning to Japan was created as an object that is devoid of the functionality of dishes. While the structure of the ”Mobius strip” as a figurative expression of circulation, regeneration, and endless repetition can be found in countless paintings by the likes of M.C. Escher, it has seldomly been translated into a piece of ceramic art. The work reflects Seto’s own experience with American avant-garde ceramic art that has been influenced by abstract expressionist painting.