Studio Visit - Masaomi Yasunaga
Visited in May 2025 during my @_designani two-month ceramic residency in Japan at with @air_sccp.
Photographs by @_designani - post via instagram @nani.visit
Masaomi Yasunaga
(B. Japan, living in Iga, Japan)
Masaomi Yasunaga (b. 1982, Iga‑shi, Mie Prefecture, Japan) is a ceramic sculptor and former student of Satoru Hoshino, linked to the post‑war avant‑garde Sodeisha group, which broke from functional tradition to pursue expressive, sculptural works. Drawing from his Catholic upbringing and a sensitivity to Western aesthetics, Yasunaga’s practice emphasizes sculptural form over utility: he constructs vessel-like works using glaze (rather than clay) combined with materials such as feldspar, rocks, metal, glass powders, sand, or kaolin, firing them buried and later “excavating” them like artifacts. The results appear both ancient and contemporary; objects shaped by elemental forces, titled with physical states like Empty, Melting, Skeleton, or Flesh. Most recently, Yasunaga has developed his current Mosaic series; flat, hand‑made tile tablet works that assemble vessel motifs in pixelated compositions, blending ancient technique with experimental innovation, and has shown internationally with @lisson_gallery, @pierre_marie_giraud in Brussels and @nonakahillgallery in Los Angeles.
Photographed by Nani P - post via instagram @nani.visit
