秋山陽／Akiyama Yo

1980年代より現代陶芸の最前線で活躍し続けている秋山陽は、アメリカやベルギーなどでも個展が開催されるなど、国内外で高い評価を受けている陶芸家です。

1953年、山口県下関市生まれの秋山は、京都市立芸術大学陶磁器専攻科に入学すると、同大学の教授であり「走泥社」の中心人物でもある八木一夫に師事しました。師と同じく黒陶を用い、型にはまらない造形を模索していきますが、大学修了後は、就職先の知的障がい者施設における粘土遊びを通して、土との向き合い方や、土そのものが持つ物質性とエネルギーについて新たな気づきを得ることになります。そのように自身の造形表現をさらに深めていく中で発見したのが、土の表面に走る亀裂です。

黒褐色の彫刻的な作品群は、黒陶に亀裂を取り入れたり、焼成後に鉄粉を施したりといった技法で生み出されています。これらは作風ごとにシリーズ化されており、1980年代から1990年代にかけては大地をイメージさせる【準平原】や【地質時代】、2000年代には【Metavoid】【Heterophony】などを発表していますす。いずれの造形も豊かなエネルギーや壮大なスケール感を備えており、観る者に土の生命力や破壊力を体感させます。それと同時に、「原初的なるものへの憧憬や希求」に突き動かされる秋山の、哲学者にも似た深い思考の痕跡をたどることもできるでしょう。

Yo Akiyama, who has been active at the forefront of contemporary ceramics since the 1980s, is a highly acclaimed ceramic artist both in Japan and abroad, with solo exhibitions held in countries like the United States and Belgium.

Born in 1953 in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Akiyama enrolled in the Ceramic Arts program at department of Crafts in Kyoto City University of Arts, where he studied under Kazuo Yagi, a professor at the university and a central figure in the “Sōdeisha (the avant-garde ceramic artist group)”. Like his mentor, Akiyama explored unbound forms using black pottery. After graduating from the university,
he found new inspiration through clay play at a facility for intellectually disabled, gaining a deeper understanding of how to engage with clay and the inherent materiality and energy it possesses. It was during this period of further developing his artistic expression that he discovered the cracked surface of clay.

His sculptural works in blackish brown tones incorporate cracks into black pottery and utilize techniques such as applying iron powder after firing. These works are often organized into series based on different themes. In the 1980s and 1990s, He produced series such as “Junhekigen (peneplain)” and “Chishitsujidai (geological age)” evoking the imagery of the natural world. In the 2000s, he presented series such as “Metavoid” and “Heterophony”. Each creation is rich in energy and conveys a sense of grand scale, allowing viewers to experience the vitality and destructive power of clay. At the same time, we can trace the traces of Akiyama’s profound thinking, similar to that of a philosopher, driven by “a longing and desire for the primordial”.