Ceramic artist Izumi Ishigami holds solo exhibition in Kagoshima – Discover colorful marine world

Izumi Ishigami, the ceramic artist

On October 27, a solo exhibition by the ceramic artist Izumi Ishigami, “Fish Art – Fascinated by Fish,” opened at Unitement Garden on the fourth floor of Maruya Gardens.

Ishigami dynamically and colorfully expresses fish swimming around coral with wild waves. She has always enjoyed diving and observing sea creatures before she started making ceramics, and she won the Governor Prize of Kagoshima Prefecture at Kagoshima Ceramic Art Exhibition this year. Winning the award led to new and increased connections and to this exhibition.

In the center of the exhibition hall, visitors will see large-scale works with motifs of clownfish swimming in the waves, sea anemones, and a dragon. The Izumi Kiln in Kedoin, where these pieces are fired, is sizable. Ishigami explains that she usually applies the glaze three times instead of just once. “If you don’t apply it three times, the colors don’t come out clearly. It also makes the intricate parts more fragile,” she said.

In addition to ceramics, the exhibition showcases colored pencil drawings, paintings on ceramic boards, and tableware. There are more than 100 pieces on display, and most of them are accompanied by a text describing the feelings and stories behind the creation. Ishigami also creates numerous human-themed works. “I have been making ceramics, mainly fish, for more than 30 years, but I like to look at people’s faces, expressions, and gestures, so I started to observe people more. This is the reason why some of my fish pieces have the expressions of older men and women and eyelashes,” she added.

Ishigami said: “I love making things, and even when I’m not making ceramics, I’m working on something else. I hope visitors will enjoy Izumi’s world, which is not just about ceramics.”

The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Free admission. It runs until November 7.