It is modern, Japanese, white, and blue and white.

Using unglazed white as his stage for expression, Wada creates strongly contemporary forms through the fusion of straight lines, curves, and surfaces. With this style, he has won numerous awards at open-call exhibitions.

On the other hand, there are also works by Wada that feature a completely different contrast of blue and white, and rough, powerful skin textures.

And all of them share the same origin: celadon porcelain. To give you a glimpse into Akira Wada 's world, let's start with these two water pitchers.

"White Water Jar 'Front and Back'" was first exhibited at the 9th Contemporary Tea Ceramics Exhibition in 2016 and was selected for the TOKI Oribe Grand Prize.

White vessels, aptly named "white vessels," originate from celadon porcelain decorated with pressed patterns.

In his pursuit of his own unique expression of shading, starting from the shadows of the glaze that appear when pressed, even the glaze itself eventually disappeared.

The "White Vessels" series, with its use of white for the first time, allowed for the expression of light and shadow, leading to the creation of works such as "Front and Back" and "Stand."

The modern expression of that "White Vessel" series has been transformed into tea ceremony utensils.

This "White Water Jar 'Front and Back'" demonstrates how the expression of light and shadow gives it a unique presence even within the space of a tea ceremony.

The following year, the water container "Drifting Ice" was exhibited at the 10th Contemporary Tea Ceremony Ceramics Exhibition.

The difference in expression between this piece and the previous year's "White Water Jar 'Front and Back'" is so great that it's hard to believe they were made by the same artist.

In Wada's other series, "Drifting Ice" and "Ice Wall," the blue hue of the glaze, which was previously created by the pressed celadon pattern, comes much more prominent.

This led to a demand for a "white" with a different color and texture than the white of "white ware," resulting in a change in the clay and a completely different direction in the sculpting process.

The development of the form in tea bowls manifested as "Omiwatari" (a type of ice formation), and the process continued to expand in search of new clays.

Two major trends begin with two water containers that originate from celadon porcelain.

Akira Wada 's world demonstrates that these modern forms can coexist within something profoundly Japanese, or even within a traditional Japanese aesthetic.

It's quite exciting, and very fun.

Yoshiaki Ito (Director General, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum; Director, (Provisional Name) Machida City Museum)