Tanka with Silver

In 1978, Michikawa moved to Seto, the ancient city
of potters, swapping the stresses of corporate culture for classes in pottery. Establishing his own kiln and studio in 1981, he is renowned for his performative processes. In 2005, he became the
first Japanese artist to be given a solo exhibition inside Beijing’s Forbidden City. Formed through an intensely personal relationship with his materials and a unique way of forming
clay on the potter’s wheel, this piece is a visceral expression of the energy of process. A tormented amalgamation of tone and texture, Michikawa manipulates the softness of clay with unique
wheel-work that effects changes in form from within. From corrugated to cracked surfaces, the result combines old with new and rough with smooth. Such fearless fluctuations
condensed into stone and silver convey a sense of impassioned struggle, ultimately stabilised with remarkable control.