Ceramic students at the National Art School were completely captivated lat Thursday by a demonstration by Yasuhisa Kohyama, a visiting Japanese ceramic artist currently showing at Olsen Irwin. 
Now in his late 70s, Kohyama has developed his unique language of forms influenced by elements of wind and water. He revitalised the tradition of anagram wood-firing in Shigaraki, one of the ancient kiln centres of Japan. 
He demonstrated his own method of making chawan, or tea bowls.? Central to the Japanese tea ceremony, these pots are a testament to the maker, ideally fitting in the palms of the hands, the internal shape of the bowl should, in Kohyama?s own words, embody the whole universe.? 
The outside is a delicate play of texture and form, and the carved foot ring at the base shows great balance and resolution. Brett Stone remarked he had never seen a large group of students sit in silence and awe for so long, watching as each ball of clay was transformed by his fingers. 
Kohyama?s work epitomises the Japanese traditions of quiet contemplation, the functional object as work of art. The Olsen Irwin Jersey Road Gallery is currently displaying an exhibition of his works along side works by Sandy Lockwood. You can view the exhibition catalog here 
