Art in the Garden 2025

Earthen Elegance: The Ceramic Art of Bizen

Earthen Elegance: The Ceramic Art of Bizen (Cups) (2006) by The Collection of David Sneider & Naomi Pollock​Portland Japanese Garden

Earthen elegance

On loan from the Collection of David Sneider and Naomi Pollock, this exhibition celebrates contemporary ceramic art and vessels that preserve a time-honored collaboration of earth, fire, and the artist’s hand.

Bizen CeramicsPortland Japanese Garden

Rokkoyō (六古窯)

Recognized as one of the Rokkoyō (六古窯) Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, Bizen is a ceramic center that has continued its unique form of pottery for over 900 years.

Bizen (Goma)Portland Japanese Garden

Notable for their rustic, textured, and unglazed forms, the ceramics featured in Earthen Elegance reveal the depths of the Bizen pottery tradition.

Bizen Sei’i “Saint’s Garment”Portland Japanese Garden

Today the town of Bizen hosts nearly 300 active kilns with artists continuing to use local materials and an ancient wood-firing process.

Jun IsezakiPortland Japanese Garden

Featuring work by many of Bizen’s leading potters including Jun Isezaki and Ryuichi Kakurezaki, the exhibition presents both functional vessels and innovative sculptural forms that expand the frontier of Bizen ware.

Kenji Takenaka (1996) by Kenji TakenakaPortland Japanese Garden

See it in person

Showcasing these unique expressions in clay born from centuries of tradition, Earthen Elegance: The Ceramic Art of Bizen will be on display from February 8, 2025 – June 9, 2025.

Credits: Story

Learn more at: https://japanesegarden.org/events/earthen-elegance-the-ceramic-art-of-bizen/

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