Artwork of the Week: January 20
While traveling through the whimsical landscapes of Southern Utah in 1974 as a student of Utah State University, Kajitani was awestruck by the interplay of colors exhibited in the rock formations of Capitol Reef National Park. The unfamiliar panorama reminded him of Medieval T’ang Dynasty Chinese pottery, and he sought to recreate the red rock landscape through his ceramic practice.
Kajitani sought to display simplicity in this artwork, while highlighting the complex nature of the Medieval pottery process. Through his combination of firing and glazing techniques, the artist offers insight into the multiple layers of geographic history embedded in the Southern Utah landscape, creating this similarly unique ceramic form. In the 1990s, Kajitani moved back to Japan and is now considered a modern-day master of this form of Medieval Chinese pottery.
As a curatorial fellow at the museum, I was inspired by Kajitani’s creativity with this artwork. I composed the following haiku to reflect the delicate interplay between the artist’s experience in Southern Utah and the firing process of ceramics:
Clay meets red rock’s glow, Whorls of earth, fire’s embrace, Desert and glaze blend.
As Kajitani takes inspiration from the world around him to create his artworks, I was newly inspired by the wonder that can be found in my present environment, and I hope this post has encouraged you to find it as well.
This artwork is currently on display in Crossing the Divide in conversation with the American landscape section of the exhibit until September 2029.
