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Untitled

Object Details

Exhibition Label
One of Toshiko Takaezu's “closed forms,” the unseen interior cavity of this ceramic sculpture suggests the protected space of an egg. To create these forms, Takaezu threw a pot at her wheel, then coiled and hand built the clay into a nearly closed spheroid. She often placed pieces of paper and clay inside before firing that became rattling ceramic beads in the kiln.
Many species of birds, like ducks, communicate with each other before they hatch. They peep and click from inside their eggs to synchronize their emergence, preparing the family to leave the nest together. Like chattering eggs in a nest, Takaezu’s closed forms conjure new imaginings about the tenderness of home.
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Artist
Toshiko Takaezu, born Pepeekeo, HI 1922-died Honolulu, HI 2011
Date
ca. 1990s
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
Medium
glazed stoneware
Dimensions
19 1/4 x 7 in. diam. irregular (48.9 x 17.7 cm)
Type
Decorative Arts-Ceramic
Crafts

Featured In

  • Asian American Artists and Selected Works
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