This will be Takeshi Yasuda’s first UK show in 6 years and it will be a real pleasure to welcome him back to Goldmark. We shall be unpacking the crates of new work as they arrive with a real sense of anticipation and it will be a thrill to see what direction Mr Yasuda has taken. Visitors to the Gallery can expect a high quality, high volume, joyful exhibition – with as many as 200 new pots on show. It will be an exhibition to delight the senses.
Takeshi Yasuda, born in Japan in 1943 and now resident in China, has had a long and fruitful relationship with the U.K. where he also lived for many years, and with the Goldmark Gallery in particular. He returns to Goldmark on 11 May to open a new show of his thrown work and ethereal porcelain.
Prue Venables writing for Goldmark in 2013 commented that Takeshi Yasuda has established a remarkable and enduring reputation across the world as a potter and teacher of great imagination and integrity. …a dynamic and open exploration of function combined with a passionate relationship with the porcelain material itself clearly lies at the heart of his current work.
These words still ring true today although there can be no doubt that Mr Yasuda has continued to experiment and develop as both artist and potter since the they were written. His constant striving towards new horizons means that once he feels he has mastered a project or a process he changes his work and moves on.
Yasuda trained at the Daisei-Gama Pottery in Mashiko from 1963 to 1966 and established his first studio there. His early work consisted of ash-glazed stoneware, after which he explored Sancai and Creamware. Most recently he has been working with celadon-glazed porcelain.
Takeshi is unique in the way he fuses Oriental and Occidental culture. His work is unequivocally contemporary but with deep historic roots. His importance on the world stage has been significant but has yet to be fully recognised. I believe in time Takeshi will be acknowledged as one of the all-time greats. - Professor Sebastian Blackie
Yasuda's work is held in major public and private collections worldwide, including the Victoria and Albert Museum.