MASAOMI YASUNAGA

Masaomi Yasunaga is a Japanese contemporary ceramic artist known for his innovative sculptural vessels and experimental glazes. You can follow Masaomi Yasunaga on Ocula to learn more about his work, find out about art for sale, contact his galleries, and keep up to date with upcoming exhibitions.

Masaomi Yasunaga is renowned for employing glaze as his primary sculptural material, supplemented by raw elements such as feldspars, rocks, metal, and glass powders. His process often involves burying works in sand or kaolin during firing and excavating them afterwards, producing artifacts reminiscent of archaeological finds and highlighting a unique fusion of tradition and experimentation.

A direct disciple of Satoru Hoshino and the avant-garde Sodeisha movement, Yasunaga employs a hand-built Tebineri technique, assembling forms by coil rather than wheel. Uniquely, he replaces clay with glaze and an alchemy of minerals, metals, rocks, and glass powders—materials that expand the expressive and tactile range of ceramic art. To ensure each fragile structure survives firing, Yasunaga carefully buries his works in sand or raw porcelain inside large kilns; the finished objects are subsequently unearthed through a process akin to archaeological excavation, metaphorically linking the acts of making and discovery.

Masaomi Yasunaga’s practice investigates themes like emptiness, existential beauty, transformation, the boundaries between function and sculpture, and the persistent influence of nature and time. The works frequently reference bodily forms, group dynamics, and personal experiences, filtered through an embrace of unpredictability and fundamental beauty.

Masaomi Yasunaga describes fire as a filter that strips away ego and intention while the kiln acts as a kind of time machine. The act of excavating pieces after firing echoes archaeological discovery and aligns with his philosophy of relinquishing control to elemental forces.

Formally trained under Satoru Hoshino of Sodeisha, Masaomi Yasunaga’s philosophy and techniques are deeply rooted in avant-garde, postwar Japanese ceramic traditions that challenge function and pursue expressive sculptural forms.

Significant events such as the passing of his grandmother and the birth of his sons have inspired pivotal bodies of Masaomi Yasunaga’s work, including series made from his grandmother’s ashes and hybrid ‘empty creature’ vessels symbolizing new life.

Rejecting clay as the principal material, Masaomi Yasunaga’s seeks to expand the definition of ceramics and foregrounds the chemistry and metaphysics of glaze, exploring new territories beyond established boundaries in ceramic art.

Audiences are often curious about signature series such as ‘Empty Vessel’, ‘Empty Creatures’, ‘Fused Pots’, and ‘Accumulation’—works that embody his experimental ethos and have garnered international attention.

Yasunaga’s work is exhibited internationally, including galleries in Tokyo, Kyoto, Los Angeles, and London. You can follow Masaomi Yasunaga on Ocula to receive alerts on upcoming exhibitions by the artist.

Yasunaga’s practice is deeply influenced by his upbringing in Japan’s Catholic minority and personal life events such as the loss of his grandmother and the birth of his son, which inform his thematic focus on emptiness and transformation. You can follow Masaomi Yasunaga on Ocula to receive alerts on news about the artist.

Masaomi Yasunaga lives and works in Iga-shi, Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Pronounced as Ma-sa-o-mi Ya-su-na-ga.

Masaomi Yasunaga is represented by leading contemporary art galleries. You can explore Ocula to find out which galleries represent him and enquire directly about purchasing his work. You can also contact Ocula’s art advisory team for assistance.