Masayasu Mitsuke

Ota Fine Arts is pleased to present a solo exhibition of Masayasu Mitsuke, an artist who paints Kutani ware, a style of Japanese porcelain. It has been 8 years since Ota Fine Arts has had his solo exhibition.

Aka-e (red enamel painting using iron oxide called Bengala on white porcelains) was established in the Song Dynasty of China. In Kutani, the style of Aka-e was formed in the late Edo period. It was more sophisticatedly developed by the porcelain painter IIDAYA Hachirouemon, and it was known as "Akae-saibyo" (detailed Aka-e drawings).

The works by Mitsuke, who has inherited the style of IIDAYA, possess characteristic and detailed line drawings belying the fact that they are hand colored. Using a single brush he creates numerous thin lines and tiny dots. These sequences are drawn as if by computer graphics and compose of modern geometrical patterns. These patterns apparently seem mechanical and inorganic, however, they are in harmony with various cultures such as Japanese traditional designs (like flax ornaments or hexagonal patterns) to Arabesque designs and even Medieval European designs.

In this exhibition, Mitsuke will mainly introduce large dishes including new works. His works express a contrast between the white color of the porcelains and Aka-e, as well as the sleekness of gold paint or blue color of enamel as accents. The beauty of Mitsuke's works is significantly seen and stands out in the large dish that is 50 centimeters in diameter, filled with geometrical patterns on full surface. Moreover, he has challenged himself to add new motifs in his patterns, and these new designs have hardly been shown in the past. This invites us to pursue his future development as well.

While Mitsuke's original style of Aka-e crosses time and culture, the splendor of his traditional technique remains. We look forward to your visit to the world of Mitsuke's works in this exhibition.