Biography

Exhibitions

Selected Exhibitions

2016
The Next Mino Ceramics, Mino Ceramic Art Museum, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (’17)
2017
Group Exhibition, Gallery Suki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (’22)
Kogei Art Fair Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
2018
Group exhibition, Keisho-Ha V: A New Materialism, Yufuku Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, USA
TEFAF Maastricht, The Netherlands (’19, ’20, ’22, ’23)
Group Exhibition, Porcelain Art From Japan, Galerie Marianne Heller, Heidelberg, Germany
Art Miami, USA
2019
elemental form – Yasutaka Baba Solo Exhibition, Yufuku Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Silhouettes of Tomorrow, Yufuku Gallery, London, UK
2020
Yasutaka Baba Solo Exhibition, Ishoken Gallery, Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
2021
Re: Opening Ceremony, A Lighthouse called Kanata, Tokyo, Japan

Art 021, Shanghai, China
2022
Finale – Director’s Cut, Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Germany

The Zokei of Ishoken, Gallery Voice, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

The Future Eternal – a special exhibition for DESIGNART TOKYO, A Lighthouse called Kanata, Tokyo, Japan
2023
Beyond the Abstract World: From Yufuku to Kanata: From Yufuku to Kanata, A Lighthouse called Kanata, Tokyo, Japan

The Treasure House Fair, London, UK

Seattle Art Fair, Seattle, USA

soaring forms – Yasutaka Baba Solo Exhibition, A Lighthouse called Kanata, Tokyo, Japan

Awards

2016　Selected, Triennale of Kogei in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
2017　Bronze Prize, International Ceramics Festival Mino, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
2018　Kumamoto Broadcasting Prize, Arita International Ceramics Competition, Saga Prefecture, Japan

Public Collections

Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Germany
Toshin Mino Ceramic Art Museum, Japan
Mosaic Tile Museum, Tajimi, Japan

馬場康貴 Yasutaka
Baba Yasutaka
Baba

elemental form IX　|　Porcelain

H57 x W24 x D24 cm

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Yasutaka
Baba

Profile

1991 Born in Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
2017 Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center
Lives and works in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

01 Exhibitions More
02 Awards More
03 Public Collections More

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About
the ArtistAbout
the Artist

Every so often, an artist emerges who will rejuvenate the traditions of old with a fresh, bold zeitgeist that reflects the times in which we live in, who will push the boundaries of his or her mode of expression in innovative and new ways that help us to both remember, rethink and revisit the beauty found within materials and techniques. One such artist is Yasutaka Baba (1991- ) of Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture.

The eldest son of a family-run pottery in a locale renowned for porcelain production since the 1600’s, Baba’s brave willingness to not simply repeat Hasami’s past but to move it forward, to attempt a new aesthetic within porcelain that others have yet to tread, has already garnered both respect and great expectations of what lies ahead. With silhouettes reminiscent of futuristic skyscrapers that buzz with facades of fevered intensity, Baba’s vision of light and shadows entwined in harmony shines brightly amongst a new and exciting generation of youthful Yufuku artists eager to carve their place in the international scene.

Entitled ‘elemental form’, Baba’s works are devoid of any instance of functionality, and instead, embrace a brave new vision of abstraction that calls to mind the beauty of ancient architecture, from the wonders of Mayan and Aztec civilizations and the elegance of Persian and Buddhist reliefs, amalgamated with the minimal silhouettes reminiscent of towers and residential complexes of the future. Capturing both light and shadows upon their facades, Baba’s aesthetic is intriguing for both its sculptural beauty coupled with an immaculate sense of detail and craftsmanship, evidenced by the scrupulous intensity of the small building blocks of porcelain that comprise his works. After drawing a blueprint of his intended object, he first cuts out stencils that help him create the structural foundations for his sculptures. Then, after cutting out thousands of little rectangular porcelain blocks of varying sizes, Baba attaches each piece, one by one, upon his damp clay surfaces in a random fashion. After drying, the work is fired in an electric kiln for 1240 degrees Celsius for 15 hours. In pursuit of the elemental essence of porcelain’s natural beauty, Baba’s ‘elemental forms’ are mesmerising odes to the sheer power and imagination of contemporary Japanese ceramics.