The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 54 No 1 April 2015

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The Function of Art, The Art of Function each time to the conversation, he would continue his previous thought as if there had been absolutely no interruption. He was very sharp," says Shoji san. Not long after this time, Shoji san's teacher, Kiyomizu, radically renounced ceramics, destroying almost all of his award-winning ceramic work and turning his focus to the minimalist sculpture for which he became renowned. Perhaps it was the influence of the sensei's sudden change in direction or the freedom of being unbound by generations of inherited ideas, or maybe something fundamental within Shoji san himself, but his practice has always been characterised by a similar unorthodoxy and adventure. In the more than forty years he has lived and taught in Australia - first at East Sydney Technical College and then Sydney College of the Arts (he retired in 2007 but remains an honorary senior lecturer) - Shoji san found an affinity with the majority of students who came to ceramics as he had, without preconceived notions of aesthetics and with an enthusiasm for experimentation. "It was wonderful, you know," he says, "seeing all these things that were original and new coming out of the kiln." In Japan too in recent years, Shoji san says he sees some melting of the old rules with the emergence of more interest in sculptural work among a younger generation of potters and collectors. Shoji san's own work ranges fluidly across the functional and non-functional. In fact, Shoji san says he doesn't really think of his work in this dualistic way - functional or decorative, two-dimensional or three - although he does have a preference for sculptural objects. He continues to gently resist the idea of working perennially in one style. If this makes categorising his aesthetic elusive, Shoji san is unconcerned. " I just want to have fun," he says. "I don't care if a piece sells or not. To be creatively fulfilled I need to keep moving." In recen t years his focus has been on large handbuilt high-fired sculptural pieces bearing inlaid slip sutra tattoos and two-dimensional works. In these forms Shoji san explores the theory (distilled by the early twentieth century painter Grasset) that the sphere, cone and cube, and their two-dimensional equivalents the circle, triangle and square, form the basis of all compositional arrangements. Shoji san also continues to make pieces for his restaurateur friends as well as commissioned work. It is an often-recited tenet in Japanese ceramics philosophy that a pot is aesthetically incomplete until married with food. Shoji san's view on this thesis of art versus function takes a characteristically more subtle note. Shoji san's intention, he says, is instead for the work to stand on its own. For him, even if a work's ultimate purpose is to display another thing, it must have beauty enough that it does not require the addition of anything else in order to be complete. M itsuo Shoji is represented by Lesley Kehoe Gallery in Victoria and Lost Bear Gallery in New South Wales; www.mitsuoshoji.com. 40 THE JOURNAL OF AU STRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL 201S
The Function of Art, The Art of Function Opposite page: Mitsuo Shoji, Giant Circle, 2010 stoneware, colour inlay. (oilbuilt, gold/silver leaf diam.85cm; photo: Greg Piper Ceramics by Mitsuo Shoji 1 Many Wishes Ovoid Form, 2010 h.33cm, w .4Sem, d.57cm 2 Mitsuo Shoji portrait, 2009, photo: Christine Shoji 3 Many Wishes Square Form, 2008 h.35cm, w.42em, d.42cm 4 Many Wishes Ovoid Form , 2010 h.45cm, w.66cm, d.40cm 1,3 & 4 stoneware, colour inlay, coilbuilt double wall, gold/silver leaf 1. 3 & 4 Photos: Greg Piper THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL 2015 41
Page 2 and 3: WALKER ~ Feeneys Clay Cesca Glazes
Page 4 and 5: Please complete using UPPER CASE wh
Page 6 and 7: Contents REGULARS 60 VIEW 1: The Do
Page 8: Contributors Kelly Austin is a Cana
Page 13: Shards Entries now open VICTORIAN C
Page 16: Focus: The Function of Art. The Art
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Page 21 and 22: The Function of Art. The Art of Fun
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Page 38 and 39: Mel Robson. Suzi lyon and members o
Page 40 and 41: period of a month it grew and evolv
Page 43: The Function of Art, The Art of Fun
Page 47 and 48: Kelly Austin, Monster Small Dishes,
Page 51 and 52: ~-- -- -------- ~~-------------- Th
Page 59 and 60: The Function of Art, The Art of Fun
Page 61 and 62: The Function of Art. The Art of Fu
Page 64 and 65: View I The Domestic Artist The art
Page 66 and 67: Melanie Jayne, Peppermint 2015, lum
Page 68 and 69: View 2 Ceramics by Stephen Bird 1 B
Page 70 and 71: Education Pathways to Practice Lou
Page 72 and 73: Sarah Ormonde, Sutton Grange: Fox C
Page 74 and 75: Pocket PhD Brett Smout Explores Low
Page 76 and 77: Studio Inside the Studio of Ramesh
Page 78 and 79: Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran Idol, 201
Page 80 and 81: Studio VG : Your work is described
Page 82 and 83: Linda Seiffert, Cascade Artist Stud
Page 84 and 85: Gatherings Baptism of Fire The rebi
Page 86 and 87: Gatherings --------- Preparation of
Page 88 and 89: Community Touch This Earth Lightly:
Page 90 and 91: THE TRUDIE ALFRED BEQUEST CERAMIC S
Page 92 and 93: Asso ci ation The Trudie Alfred Beq
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Asso cia tion Kylie Rose McLean Adv
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Asso ciation Left: Ingo Svendsen, I
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Ceramic Shots Equal second: above,
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Ceramic Shots 1 Photographer: Dave
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AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS TRIENNALE 2015
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Australian Ceram ics Triennale 2 01
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Claypool is a communal ceramics fac
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Ever heard of a frog cake? For thos
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Farewell Ceramics Victoria 1969-201
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Stockists ACT canberra potters soci
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Connect. promote & engage with our
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Classifieds CERAMIC SUPPLIES ~~~~ B
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SYDNEY POTTERY SUp~~0> OUTLET V . C
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT with Ingrid Tu
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TURN TURN TURN THE STUDIO CERAMICS
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o CH I NO LOY A dedicated space for
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ceramic design studio www.facebook.
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Bruce Walford (NZ) Ted Secombe (VIC
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POTTERY SUPPLIES Convenient Central
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