Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/417885
108 CULTURED IMAGES COURTESY SALON 94; GALLERY SEOMI; PATRICK PARRISH; STUDIO POTAPOTA; BEN MEDANSKY; 1882 LTD FAYE TOOGOOD FOR 1882 LTD. Designer-turned-entrepreneur Emily Johnson—herself a fifth-generation ceramist—launched 1882 Ltd. in 2011 to produce ceramics in the U.K. by contemporary designers such as Max Lamb, Philippe Malouin and duo Fort Standard. Her latest introduction is Indigo Storm, a collection of everyday earthenware by Faye Toogood, whose painterly swirls are inspired by a quirk in the production of pottery when pigment added to slip has yet to fully blend. Ceramic sculpture, 2013 Pieces from the Indigo Storm collection, 2014 Unique bowl with gold knob, 2011 Kairagi Shino bowl, 2014 JIN JANG South Korean artist Jin Jang has been creating ceramics for nearly four decades. Now, through Gallery Seomi, she has made an even bigger splash in the American design scene with exhibitions at Design Miami and R and Company. Minimal, lightweight and taking color cues from nature, her works walk a tightrope between traditional Korean stoneware methods and an elegant sense of contemporary utility. STUDIO POTAPOTA Living and working in London, Japanese husband-and-wife team Hidekazu and Kaori Sogabe of Studio Potapota infuse their rustic works with various narratives: a series of chalices made for an imaginary ancient city; cups decorated with pen sketches scribbled immediately after waking up in the morning; and marbled-looking vessels inspired by the "morning haze over deeps woods at sunrise." During September's London Design Festival, Studio Potapota created a pop-up show at the Aesop store in Shoreditch displaying 10 series of ceramics backed by a custom soundscape. TAKURO KUWATA This Japanese artist based in Toki city had his first solo show in the U.S. at Salon 94 last January, where he combined traditional ceramics techniques with pungent colors and experimental processes, often with precious materials such as gold and platinum. One of his more expressive techniques is something called ishihaze, or "stone explosion," where he adds stones to his clay mix, causing it to ooze through the form when fired. GUY C. CORRIERO Inspired by the classroom projects his daughter brought home from school, this New York-based painter began working in ceramics three years ago. Before this most recent stint, he had never worked in ceramics or sculpture. Now showing through Manhattan's Patrick Parrish gallery, Corriero's 3-D works combine his eye for form with a fresh perspective on the material. He uses recycled clay to create his expressive, chaotic pieces. "I don't like any of the traditional techniques," he says. "It's mostly about touching and wanting to be touched—lovingly and/or aggressively." BEN MEDANSKY A poster child for the newly cogent Los Angeles design scene, Medansky makes geometric- and architecture-infused objects and tabletop wares that directly reflect his fine arts education and his training with stars of the medium, including Peter Shire. An Arizona native who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, Medansky and his team in Downtown L.A. use basic ceramic tools to create pieces, often with offbeat color combinations, that are sold at the Cooper Hewitt and MOCA Los Angeles museum shops and Assembly New York. Geographic Archeology series vase, 2014 Gold Rods cup, 2014 IN THEIR HANDS From precious to practical, ceramics are a versatile and democratic outlet for today's multidisciplinary creatives. Here, a primer to the artists and designers who are making clay cool again. BY DAN RUBINSTEIN