Guild Gallery is pleased to present Impermanence, the gallery’s second solo exhibition by Fukushima-based artist Kenta Anzai, known for his celebrated ceramic vessels that defy translation, but might best be described as studies in momentariness and the spiritual essence of an object. The artist’s new series of work features his evolving project of sculptural vases, crafted from a repeated process of glazing, polishing and firing that imbues the pieces with depth, texture and perspective.

“In Anzai’s vessels, there is a recognition that beauty is fleeting and imperfect and a reverence for simplicity,” said Robin Standefer, Guild Gallery founder and curator. “With Impermanence, his second exhibition at Guild Gallery, his primordial spirit of creation seems to transcend even the scale of tradition and his philosophy of ephemerality has only grown deeper.”

Anzai developed an innovative process for his black surfaces using earthenware and a lacquer made from the sap of the urushi tree, which was historically used during the Jomon period to waterproof and strengthen pottery before the advent of glaze. Applying several layers and polishing, each piece can take one to two months to complete. The individual make evokes a range of organic forms, from volcanic tar to river pebbles. “I invented my original technique to make black vessels, rather than just thinking about what I can make with them,” said Anzai. “I think beauty is a method, but it’s not the goal for me.”

“Impermanence is not a way of thinking, but a state of mind.,” he said. “In the beauty that comes from ephemerality, I feel a longing for life.”