Radical Clay - Contemporary Women Artists from Japan

Edited by Joe Earle, with Contributions by Hollis Goodall and Janice Katz

Since World War II, women artists from Japan have made influential contributions to ceramics that have been inadequately acknowledged. This catalog focuses on thirty-six ceramists who have produced original and technically innovative pieces over the past fifty years while working outside the male-dominated, traditional Japanese studio practice and its counter-movements.

Both established and emerging artists with diverse styles are presented together to showcase their collective achievements and impact. After embarking on their careers decades ago, Mishima Kimiyo (b. 1932), Tsuboi Asuka (b. 1932), and Ogawa Machiko (b. 1946) continue to produce groundbreaking sculpture that pushes the limits of clay as a medium.

Among the younger artists featured are Konno Tomoko (b. 1965) and Aoki Katsuyo (b. 1972), whose works explore themes ranging from bodily distortion to fantastical decoration. Many of these creators have resisted gendered expectations, whether by approaching traditionally “feminine” subjects like flowers in unconventional ways or by working in so-called masculine modes, including on large scales.

All of the selected pieces are from the exemplary private collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, who have advocated strongly to bring these artists to global attention.

This exhibit, at the Art Insitute of Chicago (December 16, 2023 - June 3, 2024) was curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, the Art Institute of Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago, 2023, hardcover, 9.75 x 11 inches, 128 pages.