Satoru Hoshino & Masaomi Yasunaga: Sea of Mud, Wall of Flame is on view at Nonaka-Hill, Kyoto
June 14 – August 9, 2025
Nonaka-Hill Kyoto is pleased to present Sea of Mud, Wall of Flame, a two-person exhibition by Satoru Hoshino and Masaomi Yasunaga, on view from June 14, 2025. This marks the first collaborative presentation by the two ceramic artists, initiated by Yasunaga’s invitation to Hoshino.
The artists first met at Osaka Sangyo University’s Department of Environmental Design, where Hoshino taught and Yasunaga studied. What began as a teacher-student relationship evolved through academic exchange, and, after years of working along separate paths, was renewed in recent years, culminating in this shared exhibition. For Yasunaga, encountering Hoshino’s work as a student was a formative moment—one that decisively shaped his artistic trajectory.
The exhibition title, Sea of Mud, Wall of Flame, draws on personal experiences that both artists have had with the overwhelming forces of nature. The memory of landslides, fire, and elemental upheaval does not merely inform their choice of material—it is inscribed into the very surfaces of their work.
Hoshino’s practice, rooted in his early involvement with the postwar ceramic collective Sōdeisha, spans over five decades. In dialogue with him stands Yasunaga, a younger artist recognized for his radical use of glaze as a primary sculptural medium. Though separated by generation and method, their approaches resonate deeply. United by a deep sensitivity to material and a shared conviction in form-making, the two artists confront earth and flame together, charting a shared language in clay and fire that transcends generation and method.
In this exhibition, we are pleased to present Sea of Mud, Wall of Flame, a new collaborative work by the two artists, created using the traditional ceramic technique known as yobitsugi.
Satoru Hoshino (b. 1945, Niigata; lives and works in Shiga) was an active member of the Sōdeisha group (founded in Kyoto, 1948), a collective known for radically breaking from traditional postwar Japanese ceramics to pursue non-functional, sculptural expressions. Affiliated with the group from 1974 to 1980, Hoshino is recognized as a key figure in its third generation. After parting ways with Sōdeisha, his practice shifted from object-based ceramics to installation-oriented work, driven by a sustained inquiry into the fundamental question: What is ceramics?
At the heart of Hoshino’s practice lies a formative experience: surviving a devastating mudslide. Confronting the overwhelming force of the flowing earth left a profound imprint on his body and psyche, shaping a visceral, mental, and sensory relationship to ceramics—one that continues to guide the deep, contemplative dimension of his work.
This exhibition highlights Hoshino’s creative journey spanning half a century, featuring Metamorphosis (1988), crafted in black clay; SurfaceStrata and Depth (2016), a revisited early masterpiece that draws viewers into its innermost layers; and recent works such as Spring Snow and Frozen Cloud.
Masaomi Yasunaga (b. 1982, Osaka; lives and works in Shiga) creates work that pushes beyond conventional notions of ceramics, marked by a singular sculptural approach. Rather than treating glaze as a surface decoration—as is traditional—Yasunaga employs it as the primary material, carefully shaping each form by hand. During firing, his pieces are embedded in sand or earth to prevent collapse, allowing their forms to slowly emerge within the intense heat of the kiln. Once excavated, the resulting objects evoke ancient relics, as if they had been unearthed after centuries underground.
At the core of Yasunaga’s practice lies a formative event: a mountain fire he accidentally started years ago. This encounter with the overwhelming force of nature instilled a deep reverence for flame, which he continues to engage with through his work, quietly confronting its dual nature as both destructive and generative.
This exhibition presents new works, including pieces from his Melting Vessels, Empty Creatures, and wall mosaics, which treat glaze as a structural medium. Yasunaga’s ceramics transcend material experimentation, offering a poetic reconsideration of the relationship between humanity and time. Earlier this year, Yasunaga was honored with a GQ Award, reflecting his growing recognition both in Japan and internationally.
Contact
gallery@nonaka-hill.com
+81(0)70 1845 1313
Nonaka-Hill
201-4, Nishino-Cho, Higashiyama-Ku
Kyoto, 605-0088
Japan
Images courtesy Satoru Hoshino, Masaomi Yasunaga and Nonaka-Hill.
