Joan Takayama-Ogawa: Ceramic Beacon

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casting a light on change
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The 2017 series of ceramic cakes on dessert plates serves witty
and biting statements of dysfunction and dystopia (FIG. 21). A chocolate
cake overrun by snails decries the slow and partisan politics
of Washington d.c.; white floury cakes covered in rich swaths of
frosting—one titled Let Them Eat Trump—speak of America’s
addiction to sugar and its political equivalent of consuming sugary
and vapid philosophies of patriotism (FIG. 22).
Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, The Pandemic of 2020 (FIG. 23), is
the most current series of thematic food groups to emerge from
Takayama-Ogawa’s studio. Perhaps more literal than previous
works, this series is characterized by its straightforward iconography,
references to current events, and inclusion of the non-ceramic
element of plastic syringe pens. Each cupcake showcases a
different phase of the pandemic: the search for a vaccine; the systemic
inequities of America’s healthcare system; sickness, death,
and overcrowded cemeteries; forced closure due to the virus; and
alternatively, the “Great Reopening.” Deploying a dessert tied to
celebratory events—cupcakes—to reflect the disastrous impacts of
the pandemic sets up a palpable tension provoking the viewer to
assess America’s flawed healthcare policies.
(ABOVE, FIG. 21)
Washington As Usual
2017
Glazed earthenware, metal
(RIGHT, FIG. 22)
Let Them Eat Trump
2017
Glazed earthenware, metal