We are honoured to present Containers of Emotion, a solo exhibition showcasing the latest works of Masuda Toshiya at Art Fair Tokyo 20.

​​

​​​​---------------------------------------

​

Until now, I have been creating the Low Pixel CG series, using familiar everyday objects as motifs to explore memory and the chasm between the impression of ceramics and the digital realm. This series focused on nostalgia, memories associated with specific motifs, and elements that strongly convey the atmosphere of a particular era.

As I continued working, I began to consider a slightly different theme: the expression of emotion. I believe emotion is a crucial element that allows us to understand what it means to be human. By shifting the motif to the human figure, I felt it possible to express emotion more intimately.

Just as ceramic tomb figurines in ancient China conveyed devotion to their owners as well as aspects of daily life and culture, human-shaped forms throughout history have been charged with emotions and the spirit of the time. In this regard, I see parallels with contemporary game characters and avatars existing within today’s digital spaces.

I understand this to be because the human form fulfills the role of a “vessel for emotion.”

Based on this idea, I attempt to create ceramic sculptures as “containers of emotion” that will evoke a sense of the universality of emotion in the viewer.

Masuda Toshiya​

 

​​​​---------------------------------------

​

Exemplified by the Terracotta Army, tomb figurines were made in human forms and buried as part of the funerary rites for the deceased. They primarily took the form of attendants meant to serve powerful individuals in the afterlife.

Across diverse periods and regions, these figures vividly convey the nature of daily life. More than merely asserting authority in the afterworld, they feel strikingly human, imbued with a longing for continuity of the present existence.

Today, having an avatar in the virtual world is a way to duplicate the self in another dimension that is attuned to reality. After death, not only do people remain in others’ memories, but their appearance and voice as well as their previous deeds have all been recorded into the digital world.

Through the accumulation of vast amounts of data, even the processes of a person’s thought can be analyzed and regenerated by AI, making it possible for an avatar housing his life and emotions, to endure forever even after the person no longer exists.

Perhaps even that avatar may come to serve as a vessel for the emotions of those it encounters, gradually evolving in its inner essence over time.

​Mitochu Koeki

Hayashi Daisuke​​​​​

 

 

Exhibition Dates: 12 March (Thurs)  

                              13 March (Fri) 

                              14 March (Sat) 

                              15 March (Sun) 

 

Venue:

​

​​

​​

​

*All works can be viewed on our website from the first day of the exhibition.

​

​

​

 

​​