Kentaro Yamada

hello@kentaroyamada.com

CV



Born Fukuoka Japan. Currently living in London UK.
[email protected]


Education
Masters of Fine Arts, Goldsmiths, University of London 2010 – 2011
Masters of Fine Arts, The School of Art Institute of Chicago 2008 – 2009
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland 2004
Bachelor of Science, University of Auckland 2000


Awards
2012 Open West Awards finalist
2011 MFA Distinction, Goldsmiths, University of London
2008 The School of Art Institute of Chicago, Dean’s Scholarship, USA
2008 Share Prize finalist, Turin, Italy
2005 Elam School of Fine Arts Senior Scholarship, NZ



Public collections
Princessehof Ceramics Museum, Netherlands
Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand
Daiwa Foundation, UK



Exhibitions
2020 30 April - , He toku tū moana, Christchurch Art Gallery NZ
2019 6 June - 26 July 2019, Everything Comes in Waves, Daiwa Anglo Foundation Japan House Gallery, London UK
2018 12 September, Common Third, Copperfield Gallery, London UK
2016 27 May, Sound of Scent Workshop, Victoria and Albert Museum, London UK
2016 6 - 9 May 2016, AIX Scent Fair, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles USA
2015 19 Dec - 4 June 2016, Ata Wairere, Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch NZ
2015 12 June 12 – July 18, Inner Landscapes of Time, Curated by Frank Ammerlaan, Elsa Coustou and Ned McConnell, Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2014 26 June – 27 July, before breakfast we talked about the furthest possible point before it all disappeared, Tenderpixel, London, UK
2014 23 May – 27 June, b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d.b.d., MARS!, Munich, DE
2013 22 June – 13 July, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: From Interactive To Interpassive, Gallery Momo, Tokyo, Japan
2013 20 February – 9 March, Tacit Material, RM, Auckland, NZ
2013 31 January – 22 February, MC Live II, Van Horbourg, Zurich, CH
2012 18 – 25 October 2012, St. Georges Church, London, UK
2012 3 – 31 March, Open West Award, Gloucester, UK
2011 8 December – 10 January, Face of The Shape, La Scatola Gallery, London, UK
2011 14 September – 6 October, Memento Mori, Hoxton Art Gallery, London, UK
2011 9 June – 7 July, Behind Object, La Scotala Gallery, London, UK
2011 19 May – 17 June, Symbiosis, Hoxton Art Gallery, London, UK
2011 16 – 30 April, Rua Red, Dublin, Ireland
2011 9 – 30 April, S.A.G.S., The Woodmill, London, UK
2011 30 April, BYOB Munich, Germany
2010 23 – 28 June, Lucky Dip, The Woodmill, London, UK
2008 12 December – 12 March 2009, let it be now, Christchurch Art Gallery, NZ
2008 24 July – 2 August, Cloudland, Substation, ISEA, Singapore
2008 24 June – 17 July, Eye Drops from Upstairs (solo) Newcall Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2008 2 – 23 July, Kentaro Yamada (solo) RM103, Auckland, NZ
2008 3 – 10 May, Happy Ending, Happy, Auckland, NZ
2008 2 – 23 May, Various Artist, Film Archive, Auckland, NZ
2008 10 – 17 March, Share Prize, Turin, Italy
2007 2 – 31 May, Silly, Creative New Zealand (Arts Council), Auckland, NZ


Fairs
2013 13 – 16 June, Art Book Fair Basel, Basel with Mars!, CH
2012 18 January - 22 January, London Art Fair, London UK
2009 14 – 17 May, Art Chicago, with School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA


Public collections and comissions
The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, NL
Conran+Partners, UK
Christchurch Art Gallery, NZ


Teaching
2008-2009 Teaching assistant for Prof. Tiffany Holmes, The School of Art Institute of Chicago


Statement


All materials come from vast scale of cosmic time and space. It is as much of a chance that we are here as colours that magically appear on glaze when ceramics are fired. It brings poetic moment, and new encounters to us.


When I see primitive objects at museums, I wonder what this unknown man was thinking. Perhaps he had just woken up early in the morning in his cave with excitement, and tussled with muddy clay.


What was he thinking?


Perhaps he was just trying make sense, making objects, ornaments, symbols, and cultures. He was simply creating new realities in order to survive.


Development hand-axe to discovery of atomic explosion, creativity was essential. I am interested in this kind of primordial creativity. A kind of creativity we cannot escape.


My work is about encounters of human creativity and materials, and them coming together as one, as part of bigger Life in cosmic space and time.




Statement in Japanese


全ての物質は私たちの前に広がる宇宙的な空間と時間と広がりの中から生まれてきている。陶器の釉薬の色具合が偶然性を秘めているように私たちの存在自体もたまたま生まれてきたものだ。


私は博物館などで原始的な創造物を見たときに思う。この名もなき作者は何を考えていたのだろうか?もしかしたら朝洞窟で起き、やる気満々土と格闘して作ったものかもしれない。


彼は何を考えていたのだろうか?


もしかしたら彼はただ彼なりに現実を創造していたのかもしれない。オブジェを作り、装飾物を作り、シンボルを作り、文化をつくり。彼は彼なりに生命の存続のために現実を生み出していた。


原始人の石器から原子力の開発まで人間の創造性は不可抗力的であった。私はこのようなどうしても逃げられない先天的な創造性と一緒になりたい。

私たちの作るもの、そして私の作品も大きな生命の産物であり、物質と主観的創造との偶然的な出会いだということもできる。