Onishi Gallery is proud to present Toshio Ohi, an 11th generation Ohi potter, in a solo exhibition titled Clay Art. Onishi Gallery showcases leading Japanese contemporary ceramics in Chelsea, a worldwide center of contemporary art in New York City.
The Ohi Ware ceramic tradition has been handed down from generation to generation continuously. Today, Toshio Ohi continues to create contemporary ceramic works in the traditional method. The Ohi Ware tradition began in 1666 in Ohi Village, a suburb of Kanazawa, Japan. There, the first Ohi Chozaemon, originally trained in the Raku tradition, devoted his life to using the region’s soft, suitable soil for pottery making. In the distinctive Ohi Ware method, the potter forms pieces by hand without a wheel with either the coil method or a carving-out technique, removing excess clay with a knife. The potter glazes and fires pieces in a kiln, increasing the temperature sharply within a short time, and takes them out to cool down quickly. Originally developed for use in the tea ceremony, Ohi Ware is prized for its beautiful shapes and lustrous surfaces.
Toshio Ohi was born in 1958 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. He received his MFA in Artisanry from Boston University and his BA from Tamagawa University, Tokyo. He has taught at Tainan National College of the Arts (Taiwan), Tokyo University of Fine Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Kanazawa, Kanazawa Utatsuyama City Crafts School, Boston University, and was an Artist-in-Residence at Boston University.
Toshio Ohi has received numerous awards from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the city of Kanazawa, and the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten Exhibition). Using tools handed down from his grandfather, he expands the Ohi tradition with his patchwork ceremonial vessels, spiral motif tableware, and minimalistic wall plaques. He remains one of the most influential ceramicists in Japan.
