Tetsuya Yamada
Minneapolis, Minn.

The transformation of raw materials is one of the significant aspects of the ceramic process. This doesn’t mean that it merely makes the raw materials more permanent; it transforms them into new life. This transformation and unpredictability of the process is what impressed me and keeps me engaged and working with the ceramic medium.

The "Abstraction" series deals with different types of repetitions; stripes, and drip marks that occurred in the kiln. These create a sense of layered organic rhythm, as if it’s breathing. The relationship between the wood base and the ceramic body brings another sense of rhythm, and the relationship between its scale and the human body creates a particular correlation. "Abstraction" reflects the rhythm of our daily life and the richness of its ordinary aspect.

B.F.A., Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan, 1990
M.F.A., New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, 1997

Currently Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Selected Exhibitions: John Elder Gallery, New York City, 2004, 2002, 2001, 2000; CFA Gallery, Knox College, Galesburg, Ill., 2003; "Art Moves", Nash Gallery, Minneapolis, Minn., 2003; "Mastery in Clay", Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pa., 2002; "SOFA", Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill., 1999

Selected Grants: The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Biennial Competition Award, 2001

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