The Taste of Clay – Ceramic artist Julia Nema on the beauty of yakishime

Organized by: The Japan Foundation, Toronto

After her first visit in 2005 to a yakishime-style ceramics manufacturing centre in northern Japan, ceramic artist Julia Nema returned to Japan as a Japan Foundation Fellow in 2013 on an extensive study trip to various kiln sites, artists’ studios and major ceramics collections.

In her lecture, Prof. Nema will help us discover, understand and appreciate the unique beauty born from the direct interaction of pure, unglazed clay and fire– the subject of the current exhibition Yakishime: Earth Metamorphosis. The story of how Julia Nema’s artistic approach was unpredictably transformed by the elemental power and rich traditions of yakishime will be illustrated through photographs and personal accounts of her own experiences and encounters.

Following her talk, Prof. Nema will offer a guided tour of the exhibition, reading and “tasting” the pieces from the perspective of a passionate wood-fire artist.

About the speaker:

Julia Nema is a ceramic artist, designer and painter based in Budapest, Hungary. Her studio is the only ceramic workshop in Hungary using a high-temperature, wood-fired kiln for production. She creates mainly tableware, architectural and fine art works, and has received numerous commissions from exclusive restaurants for bespoke tableware. She has been awarded the Ferenczy Noemi Award and the Hungarian Design Award. She has been featured in international publications related to ceramics, including F. Olsen’s The Kiln Book (2011), and is author of the first and only book on wood-fired ceramics to be published in Hungary. She holds a PhD in Liberal Arts from Moholy–Nagy University of Art and Design. Julia Nema’s works have been exhibited across Europe, as well as in Japan and the United States.