We are presenting a collection of functional ceramics by George Nakamura. His work embraces an outlook that favors craftsmanship over novelty. Each piece embodies a special kind of modesty that is dignified and harmonious, offering the beholder a generous sense of ease in relation to their environment.
Through his range of mugs, plates, bowls and teapots (which are part of a deep lineage in Kyoto but have become a rarity in contemporary pottery), Nakamura resists the notion of tablewares as decorative artifacts and intends his creations to be a coherent part of the interior landscape.
About George Nakamura
George Nakamura (b. 1981, Osaka, Japan) is an artist and potter based in Kyoto, Japan. After studying ceramics at Kyoto Seika University, Nakamura spent three years at Sumiyama (a legendary pottery village in Uji, just south of Kyoto) under the apprenticeship of Kozo Kawashima and Yoshinobu. During this period he broke the usual tradition which prohibits students from showing their work and was selected for several public exhibitions, including the esteemed Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition.
In 2012 Nakamura established G-Studio (located at the foot of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto), which focuses on practical vessels that are distinct from Nakamura’s conceptual artwork. Reaching beyond the basic notion of ‘utility,’ the artist embraces a “consciousness of getting a little closer to the user” as part of his mission to create “pottery that blends into the lifestyle rather than pottery that stands out as a single piece of work.” 25 years into studying, working, and living in Kyoto, Nakamura regards himself as a Kyoto native and has found his place and purpose in the rich, centuries-long lineage of the Kyoto ceramic-making tradition.
Nakamura’s ceramics are housed in art museums such as the World Tile Museum (Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture), the Sakazuki Ichinokura Museum of Art (Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture), and the International Ceramic Museum of Faenza (Italy), as well as the Honen- in temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City.