‘Zen embedded in craft and clay’
Part of Stories from the SAM Collection
from 2 Mar 2025
Shepparton Art Musuem
Part of Stories from the SAM Collection
from 2 Mar 2025
Shepparton Art Musuem
Featuring artists: John Albury, Les Blakebrough, Godwin Bradbeer, Philip McConnell, Stanislav Halpern, Shuniche Inoue, Jeff Mincham, Hiroyuki Tajima, and Mitsuo Shoji
Following British ceramicist Bernard Leach's groundbreaking A Potters Book, 1940, the adoption of Japanese ceramic techniques opened the door for aesthetic and philosophical influences embedded within the ceramics—particularly those associated with the tea ceremony—to permeate Western artists' practices.
Leach was influenced by the Mingei folkcraft movement, championed by craftsmen like Shōji Hamada, which aimed to preserve and promote traditional Japanese and Korean pottery, woodwork, and other arts. Conservation and re-invigoration became a national, state-funded interest following World War II which created a boom in folkcrafts into the mid-1970s. This domestic boom was mirrored by global interest thanks to the counterculture movement and cross-cultural exchange opportunities for artists.
As Japanese techniques were shared, they changed, with methods adapted to suit different materials or modified to fulfill different creative aims. For example, raku—the traditional method for creating tea bowls for the Japanese tea ceremony—transformed into a new "Western" raku with the addition of submerging the ceramic in combustible material during the cooling stage.
In his book Leach notes that the tea masters were drawn to the raku style because they were influenced by Zen Buddhism, an Eastern philosophy that emphasises being present in the moment to achieve enlightenment. The masters felt that raku wares were unassuming, expressing a humble contentment that reflected conscious being—enlightenment.
While the technique changed, the hallmarks of the style—rustic textures and asymmetry—would remain, indicating that the philosophies behind the aesthetics had been embraced. Instead of striving for the perfectly polished, artists embraced transience and imperfection, imbuing works with the quietude of Zen Buddhism—even if they don't bear the literal motifs of meditation and mindfulness.
Following British ceramicist Bernard Leach's groundbreaking A Potters Book, 1940, the adoption of Japanese ceramic techniques opened the door for aesthetic and philosophical influences embedded within the ceramics—particularly those associated with the tea ceremony—to permeate Western artists' practices.
Leach was influenced by the Mingei folkcraft movement, championed by craftsmen like Shōji Hamada, which aimed to preserve and promote traditional Japanese and Korean pottery, woodwork, and other arts. Conservation and re-invigoration became a national, state-funded interest following World War II which created a boom in folkcrafts into the mid-1970s. This domestic boom was mirrored by global interest thanks to the counterculture movement and cross-cultural exchange opportunities for artists.
As Japanese techniques were shared, they changed, with methods adapted to suit different materials or modified to fulfill different creative aims. For example, raku—the traditional method for creating tea bowls for the Japanese tea ceremony—transformed into a new "Western" raku with the addition of submerging the ceramic in combustible material during the cooling stage.
In his book Leach notes that the tea masters were drawn to the raku style because they were influenced by Zen Buddhism, an Eastern philosophy that emphasises being present in the moment to achieve enlightenment. The masters felt that raku wares were unassuming, expressing a humble contentment that reflected conscious being—enlightenment.
While the technique changed, the hallmarks of the style—rustic textures and asymmetry—would remain, indicating that the philosophies behind the aesthetics had been embraced. Instead of striving for the perfectly polished, artists embraced transience and imperfection, imbuing works with the quietude of Zen Buddhism—even if they don't bear the literal motifs of meditation and mindfulness.
Images: Zen embedded in craft and clay in Stories from the SAM Collection, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum 2025. Photo:Leon Schoots