Toru
The Story
Toru was born in Kyoto in 1984. He studied sculpture at Tsukuba University and then went on to study ceramics at Kyoto City University of Arts. Toru was good at knitting and basket weaving as a child, and is fascinated by the sense of space created by stacking hollow strings made of clay in a mesh-like pattern, a technique similar to the way plants and coral are formed.
He has lived and worked not only in Japan but also in Taiwan, Russia, Egypt, Tunisia, China, Turkey, and other countries, encountering techniques and materials unique to each region and incorporating them into his own artistic expression.
Toru creates works with the theme of “wild mathematics,” based on the power and body memory inherent in materials. He continues to explore the connection between ancient thought and form and modern mathematics. Toru is an artist who continually asks questions and exhibits a profound flexibility in choosing materials as the starting point of his expression, such as clay, metal, and nails.
Toru’s works are geometrical and yet vividly alive. His beautiful hand-made clay curves repeatedly split and merge, resembling physical and mathematical concepts, quite reminiscent of active cells.
In the past Toru used to make complex shaped pieces, but now makes simple ones. This new way of working emphasizes the Zen idea of emptiness, placing great importance on a nonintellectual state of simply feeling while creating.
The Tour
1) Introduction of techniques, historical explanation, and Q&A session at the gallery
The tour will begin at the gallery with a detailed explanation of the craftsman’s techniques, history, and artwork. The background of the work, thoughts behind its creation, and technical aspects will be explained in detail, and questions from participants will be answered. This is a rare opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the work and experience the artist’s worldview.
2) Studio tour and explanation of the production environment
Next, visitors will move to the production site to see up close how the artwork is created. Visitors will be able to witness the moment when the artist’s technique and materials are fused together and experience the creative process firsthand.
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The Craft
Toru’s works are generally black, smoky, silvery, geometric ceramic objects, with a mysterious presence and beautiful balance that evokes the image of a planet or a crystalline body.
Hexagons and circles are repeatedly connected to form a single shape. The shapes are created by hand, piling up the clay from the bottom. The edges of the gentle lines are interlinked in a clear composition of geometric shapes, evoking the beauty of time and nature, like the process of making a conch shell or the pattern of sand spreading in the wind
His ceramics are made using the ibushi technique, in which clay is shaped by hand and baked in a wood-fired kiln to silver the surface. This silver-black pottery, is fired at a high temperature in order to crystallize the carbon.
Starting from abstract concepts such as “strings” and “membranes,” the sculpture is shaped as if it were drawing a growth curve. Its shape evokes images of life such as cells and organs, and is similar to the models of quantum mechanics and topology that seek to uncover the truth of the universe.
Selected works
