Ancetral Memory
by Gary Uchikura
Ceramic works of a personal Japanese aesthetic.
A black ceramic vessel is centred in the photograph with a round bottom and small flared opening. The opening on the top has a bend on one side to spout. The finish is shiny back with brown spectacles. Small bumps run across the vessel, and a large matte brown patch on the bottom reveals the clay underneath.
The backdrop is beige.
A black shiny vase with a spout.
A small white ceramic cup with a shiny finish sits in the centre of the photographic documentation. It is round with a wavy edge. The waves around the top edge of the cup twist around the body to the bottom.
The backdrop is black.
A small white cup that waves and twists from top to bottom.
A circular, dark brown ceramic pot is in the centre of the photograph. The bottom is small, but the top flares out dramatically until the top looks similar to the bell end of a trumpet. The top and inside are shiny, while the bottom has matte pointed brown patches that twist around the bottom end.
The backdrop is beige.
A dark brown ceramic pot that flares out like the end of a trumpet.
A circular white cup sits in the middle of the photo documentation. The bottom is small, and it slowly rounds out until it is wider at the top. A small band at the bottom is a matte cream colour. Red splatters with indented cream drips flowing upwards from the cream band reveal the bottom glazed layer below. The backdrop is black.
A circular white cup with red splatters and cream drips.
A brown matte pot with tiny brown speckles sits in the centre of the photo documentation. It is tall and curves in and out inconsistently. The top of the pot flares out a little bit and tips to the side slightly. The inside is grey and shiny. The backdrop is beige.
A matte brown pot with ting black speckles. It’s tall and has uneven curves all the way down.
“These works are a physical manifestation of ceramic forms remembered throughout my life.”
Born to Japanese immigrants of samurai background, Gary Uchikura is always searching for the seeds and origins of his identity. From his earliest memories, Uchikura has always had a powerful urge to express these shapes that define his culture and its evolutions.