Ceramic Encounters

Exhibitions

Gallery 1 & 2

Interactive Space

Exhibition Overview

This exhibition introduces works by seven artists associated with four welfare facilities in Japan, each of whom engages with ceramic production in different ways.

The exhibition introduces these works’ appeal from two perspectives. The first part, “Encounters with Clay,” considers how mental images are transformed into three-dimensional forms. The second perspective, “Encounters with People,” focuses on the places where ceramics are made and the diverse interactions that occur there. The act of gathering around clay and making forms together engenders a different kind of communication from verbal conversation. Through documentary footage and other materials from four facilities, this section explores how ceramics foster gentle connections among people.

We hope this exhibition provides an opportunity to discover a different side of Japanese ceramics and appreciate the many ways human beings connect in creative settings.

Title	Ceramic Encounters
Period	Saturday, 14 February – Sunday, 10 May 2026
Opening Hours	11:00AM - 7:00PM
Closed	Mondays*, Feb. 24, and May 7 (except Feb. 23 and May 4)
Venue	Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Gallery1,2 and Interactive Space
Admission	Free
Artists	UEDA Kana, OI Yasuhiro, SHICHIRI Mayumi, TSUCHIHASHI Miho, NISHIMURA Taeko, YATSUMIMI Yoshiaki, YOSHINARI Yohei
Graphic Design	MAEHARA Shoichi, KOYAMA Asako
Organizer	Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

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Artists

UEDA Kana

UEDA Kana, Inlaid Pebble, 2024, Collection of the artist.

Born in 1992. Graduated in 2015 from the Department of Industri al, Interior and Craft Design at Musashino Art University with a focus on ceramics. Guided by the forms and textures that happen to emerge as she makes lines and dots in the clay, Ueda’s works evoke the rhythms of nature. Through repeated observation of natural objects and experimentation with materials, she explores new modes of ceramic expression. She also creates paintings and ceramics with members of the welfare facility 8 -18. Her exhibitions include “Ishi wo miru” (2024, ROUND ROBIN, Tokyo).

OI Yasuhiro

OI Yasuhiro, Ganesha, 2013, Collection of Yamabiko Welfare Association. Photo: OHNISHI Nobuo, Courtesy of Borderless Art Museum NO-MA

Born in 1983. A member of Creative Village Coruri in Shiga Pref ecture, Oi produces both ceramic works and collages. His ceramic pieces are created by layering clay parts over a core to give shape to figures such as Ganesha or wild boars. Oi’s breaks his motifs down into small components, then reconstructs them into new forms. Past exhibitions include “HELLO : Open Eyes”(2017, Borderless Art Museum NO-MA, Shiga).

SHICHIRI Mayumi

SHICHIRI Mayumi, Vase with Overglaze Silver, 2025, Collection of the artist.

Born in 1985. Graduated from the ceramics course at Kyoto University of Art and Design (now Kyoto University of the Arts), Department of Fine and Applied Arts in 2007. After creating a variety of works ranging from ceramic installations to objects, her main focus is now vessels inspired by old ceramics and bronze ware. She also works as an instructor in the studio of the welfare facility operated by Minami Yamashiro Gakuen in Kyoto Prefecture. She has exhibited during “Kyoto Crafts Biennale” (2010, The Museum of Kyoto).

TSUCHIHASHI Miho

TSUCHIHASHI Miho, Anteater, 2020, Collection of nullus.

Born in 1971. Affiliated with the welfare facility 8-18 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Tsuchihashi engages in various creative activities including ceramics, painting, and stuffed animal making. Her ceramic works feature animals including anteaters, giraffes, and elephants. Her works capture these animals’ distinctive traits while also conveying a sense of narrative. Past exhibitions include “The 5th Nippon Foundation DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS Open Call Exhibition” (2022, Bunkamura Gallery / Wall Gallery and elsewhere, Tokyo).

NISHIMURA Taeko

NISHIMURA Taeko, Untitled, Date unknown, Collection of Minamiyamashiro gakuen Madoka.

Born in 1963 ‒ Died in 2024. Affiliated with Madoka, a welfare facility of operated by Minami Yamashiro Gakuen in Kyoto Prefecture, Nishimura worked primarily with clay. She would use her fingers to scrape the surface of clay placed on a table, lightly knead it, and drop it onto the floor. After the surface had been scraped away, she would sometimes drop the entire lump of clay. Traces of the time she spent in dialogue with the material took shape as ceramic works. Exhibitions include “The Clay Room of Minami Yamashiro Gakuen”(2023, art space co-jin, Kyoto).

YATSUMIMI Yoshiaki

YATSUMIMI Yoshiaki, Untitled, 2022, Collection of Yamabiko Welfare Association.

Born in 1981 ‒ Died in 2024. Affiliated with Yamabiko Workshop in Shiga Prefecture, Yatsumimi continued to create ceramic works during his battle with illness. Completely blind, he relied on the sense of touch in his palms to create forms by stacking coils of clay. Even as his condition worsened and he struggled to continue production, he held an exhibition, again, in November 2024, limited to only two hours as his strength allowed. Other exhibitions include“Yamabiko Exhibition”(2024, Ryuo Town Community Center, Shiga).

YOSHINARI Yohei

YOSHINARI Yohei, Hmm... Hmm... Hmm..., 2023, Collection of the artist.

Born in 1986. Affiliated with Hibari, a support facility for persons with disabilities in Tochigi Prefecture, Yoshinari continues to create paintings and ceramic works. In his ceramics, he makes coils of clay and layers them to create three-dimensional works. These piled coils result in wave-like undulations and dy namic forms. The artwork title sometimes comes from the word he uses when feeling joy or excitement. Past exhibitions include “Art to You ! World Exhibition of Art by Artists with Disabilities in Sendai 2024 ”(2024, Sendai Mediatheque, Miyagi).

Exhibition Archive