Beyond Clouds of Memory: Akio Takamori, A Mid-Career Survey.

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Author: Wood, D.

review

A retrospective serves several purposes. It is a survey of the past; a record of what an artist has accomplished in the course of his or her career. It is evidence of the evolution of that career; a chronicle of its aesthetic peaks and valleys, its conformity to and deviations from an overriding theme. It is a signifier of the artist's esteem and stature within his or her community. It is a celebration and a eulogy, even if the artist is very much alive.

But for observers of the artistic process, retrospectives serve an additional purpose. They are reminders that, in the beginning, there was an idea that was manifest in objects. The maker of the objects pursued and developed the idea from myriad angles so that, by gradual increments, a body of work amassed. Whether the artist is Jackson Pollock, Judy Kensley McKie or Akio Takamori, he or she was made, not born. A retrospective permits viewers to witness the progression and logical steps on the path from then to now. And the human satisfaction in discerning the pattern in that development makes the retrospective an "Aha!" experience.

Visitors to "Beyond Clouds of Memory" will elicit "ahas" for the whole as well as particulars. Although the exhibition has several shortcomings, it is to be commended for its range of objects and the opportunity to examine the works up close. At its current venue with the organizing institution, the Arizona State University Art Museum (http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu) in Tempe, Arizona, the absence of vitrines on the majority of pedestals allows for perusal of the inside of the vessels. This advantage makes this a must-see ceramics experience and it is hoped that installers of succeeding exhibitions recognize the merit of this approach.

The exhibition, a compilation from 26 lenders, is chronological, spanning the period from 1976 to the present. By examining each piece in turn, knowledge accumulates about the artist. Works are clustered in four distinct sections: envelope vessels; freestanding figures; graphics; and realistic self-portraiture in both two and three dimensions. This arrangement corresponds to Takamori's evolution as well as providing unity of form.

The envelope vessels are initially represented by "Couple" (1980). A light-skinned female figure is embraced by a dark male and, while Takamori was inspired by an erotic 18th-century Japanese woodcut, one can't help but be reminded of Jung's shadow typology. Seen in the catalog, Couple appears flat and two dimensional, but in the round it has volume and the embrace becomes truly physical. These early vessels have a matt finish and are arresting because of the absence of luster. The painting is less refined at the same time as being Picassolike; the surfaces seem authentic, like human skin, compared to the high polish on the later envelope containers. In the figurative part of the exhibition, we see that Takamori adopts this natural surface once again.

It is worth noting here that the catalog, edited by the exhibitions curator, Peter Held, is excellent. Its essays by Held, Garth Clark, Edward Lebow and Toyojiro Hida provide insightful commentary, and the extensive images amply fulfill the aim of a mid-career survey. But the catalog is not a substitute for seeing the exhibition in person. This is one instance when three dimensions are necessary to understanding.

"Spring" (1988) is representative of the glazed period and portrays the same subjects as Couple--white woman, shadowy man. Whereas previously the couple saw each other eye-to-eye, this time the man watches over the woman whose eyes are closed in sleep, orgasm or death. This woman's painted features are more realistic and overtly sexual than her previous manifestation: thick brows and eyelashes, ruby lips, circled areolas, green navel. A black outline defines her arms, breasts and thighs against peach-colored skin; the contrast is highly charged. Her watcher's gaze is wide-eyed. But is he her lover or her animus? Seeing these vessels as a collection puts a new spin on their content.

Lebow accounts for Takamori's sexually explicit vessels as the natural predilection of a young man. Clark, on the other hand, remarks on Takamori's sexual objectivity as a result of being exposed to his father's medical practice. With the amassing of this number of vessels, Clark's assertion is confirmed. Eroticism is diminished and the subject matter is, instead, the actuality of human anatomy--intestines, pubic hair, backbone, birth canal, penis, rib cage, buttocks. On view is the human body, its relationships, its psyche. Face "coins" repeatedly inhabit the containers, representing the loves, dreams, mysteries and terrors of this life. The retrospective permits this more psychological/spiritual perspective on Takamori's work.

Originally part of a larger grouping titled "Path," the freestanding figures are the aesthetic highlight of the exhibition. As time progressed, Takamori's anonymous and historical personages took on more detail, imbuing them with universality, commentary and intrigue. The body gestures and facial expressions in "Greeters," the curled toes of the woman in "Sleeping Woman and Child" are further evidence of an artist invested in the human condition. Finally, in this section is "Karako," an enigmatic figure--A child sitting on cushions? An asexual ruler on a padded throne? Blood-red glaze drips from its cheeks onto a yellow gown and spills over the sleeves. The meaning is unclear and Karako's placement in context at a future date may provide it.

The graphics are a fitting backdrop to the sculpture. Since 1982, Takamori has undertaken printmaking at the invitation of a number of studios and his imagery reiterates issues manifest in his sculpture: sexuality, gender and metaphor. The presence of the prints echoes the intent of a retrospective.

Finally, Takamori's two self-portraits look beyond now. The work is physically behind them in this installation and they gaze outside the exhibition. Instead of engagement in hindsight, the portraits are directed to posterity, the succeeding generations of work. Beyond Clouds of Memory--Akio Takamori's past--prompts enthusiastic anticipation of what will be forthcoming.

Beyond Clouds of Memory will be on display at the Arizona State University Art Museum through January 14, 2006. The exhibition will then travel to Marylhurst University's Art Gym, in Portland, Oregon, March 7-May 3, 2006 (to coincide with the 40th Annual NCECA Conference); Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington, June 10-October 2, 2006,; and Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin, October 29, 2006-March 18, 2007.

PHOTO (COLOR): Top left: "Spring," 24 inches (61 centimeters) in height, handbuilt porcelain, salt fired, 1988. Top right: "Couple," 19 1/2 inches (50 centimeters) in width, handbuilt stoneware, salt fired, 1980. Middle left: "Greeters," to 34 1/2 inches (88 centimeters) in height, handbuilt stoneware, 1998. Middle right: "Karako," 33 inches (87 centimeters) in height, handbuilt stoneware, 2005. Bottom left: "Tree," to 21 1/2 inches (55 centimeters) in height, handbuilt porcelain, salt fired, 1991. Bottom right: "Sphinx," (self portrait), 30 inches (76 centimeters) in height, wheel-thrown and altered porcelain (head), handbuilt stoneware (base), 2003.

PHOTO (COLOR): Akio Takamori's "Sleeping Woman and Child," 27 inches (68 centimeters) in length, handbuilt stoneware, 2003; at Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona.

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By D. Wood