{"product_id":"captivating-skeletalwork-void-sculpture-ー加藤-好康-skeletalwork","title":"Captivating skeletalwork Void Sculpture ー加藤 好康 “skeletalwork”","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn extraordinary porcelain sculpture by Katō Yoshiyasu from his Skeletalwork series, in which the conventional solidity of a ceramic vessel is almost entirely removed, leaving behind a delicate architecture of interconnected porcelain. The tall, attenuated form swells into two asymmetric volumes joined by a narrow waist, suggesting at once a vessel, a seedpod, a cellular organism or some strange skeletal structure drawn from nature. Yet there is virtually no continuous surface: the entire body is composed of irregular openings, each bounded by ribs of pure white porcelain. These apertures expand, contract and subtly change shape as they travel around the sculpture, creating a remarkably organic rhythm without settling into repetition. Particularly compelling is the way one sees not simply through the work but into it. Each opening frames further openings on the opposite side, so that overlapping layers of white and shadow create an interior space that changes continuously as the viewer moves around the piece. The extreme whiteness and immaculate finish of the porcelain heighten the paradox of the work: visually it appears almost weightless and soft, like a membrane or network of cells, while its realization in fired porcelain demands extraordinary precision and control. Even the base remains open, the skeletal structure continuing uninterrupted to the points upon which the sculpture stands. At 48 cm (18-7\/8 inches) high and only 12.6 × 13 cm (4-15\/16 × 5-1\/8 inches) across, its exaggerated verticality further emphasizes this sense of improbable delicacy. Rather than decorating a ceramic form, Katō makes absence itself part of the form, allowing light, shadow and the surrounding space to become as important as the porcelain that remains. Created in 2024, this work was selected for the 6th Kanazawa World Craft Triennale in 2025 and is accompanied by the exhibition catalogue.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKatō Yoshiyasu has developed a distinctive contemporary porcelain vocabulary around his Skeletalwork series, exploring the boundary between vessel, sculpture and open structure. In these works the familiar idea of ceramics as an enclosing skin is reversed: instead of building mass and volume through continuous walls, Katō reduces the surface to a network of interconnected ribs, while nevertheless preserving the suggestion of a complete three-dimensional body. The resulting structures evoke phenomena found throughout the natural world—bone, coral, cellular membranes, seed cases and other forms whose strength depends not upon solidity but upon the relationship between material and empty space. This tension is particularly effective in porcelain, a material historically prized in Japan for purity, refinement and technical perfection but one that becomes increasingly vulnerable as it is thinned, pierced and opened. Katō exploits precisely that contradiction, transforming porcelain's fragility into an expressive strength. His Skeletalwork sculptures reward viewing in the round: their silhouettes continually change, while the openings reveal increasingly complex relationships between exterior and interior.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in Aichi Prefecture in 1985, Kato Yoshiyasu graduated from the Department of Craft and Design at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts in 2008, and went on to complete advanced studies at the progressive Tajimi City Ishoken Ceramics Research Facility in 2014. In 2018, he established his own studio in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. His creations are known for their delicate sculptural forms and functional beauty. He creates his work using a technique called slip casting, a technique typically used for mass production. He was initially drawn to slip casting because it allowed him to create clean, non-rotational forms. However, he gradually realized that this technique offers many expressive possibilities that cannot be achieved through other methods. Since 2014, he has participated in numerous juried exhibitions in Japan. Among many accolades, in 2024, he was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 13th International Ceramics Exhibition Mino, affirming his status as a highly accomplished artist in the world of ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kato Yoshiyasu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51273537093879,"sku":"AZ14","price":474400.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0658\/7472\/3063\/files\/2026-08-1514.59.17.jpg?v=1791341215","url":"https:\/\/kuramonzen.com\/products\/captivating-skeletalwork-void-sculpture-%e3%83%bc%e5%8a%a0%e8%97%a4-%e5%a5%bd%e5%ba%b7-skeletalwork","provider":"Kura Monzen Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}