Koichiro Isezaki will be joining us on Saturday 17th May 2025 for the opening of his latest major UK exhibition.
Koichiro Isezaki, born 1974, is the son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and is the rising star of the Isezaki family, which included his grandfather Yozan Isezaki, one of the first generation of great Bizen potters in the 20th century. Koichiro Isezaki studied at Tokyo Sculptural University and then apprenticed with the Jeff Shapiro, who had been mentored by Jun Isezaki. In 2022 Isezaki was awarded the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Award.
'Clay and its makers have a special relationship. For Kôichiro what resonates are traditions and strategically breaking free from those traditions; frames of reference (kata) and freedom within those frames. Ceramics, he told me, need to be healthy in and of themselves and enjoyed. There must be a reason for making them, and people need to respond to the works. Translation or repetition is not healthy for the form or the practitioner. He is not trying to make interesting shapes, rather he is attempting to be present for the process, and this is reflected in the final form. For Kôichiro the highest compliment is not specific praise for an individual work but just overall positive reaction to the medium.'
Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere
Research Director, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of East Anglia
