KAI Films
In order to archive information about artist’s production processes, such as techniques and materials, we create high quality short films for each artist.
When you look at the images of Masuda’s ceramic sculpture on the screen of electric devices, you may think they are bad photos that don’t have enough resolution. But you shouldn’t complain about the images, because Masuda’s pieces were made to look exactly like what you saw on the screen. The idea of Masuda’s works comes from the low pixel icons in the home computer games that dominated the 1980s internationally.
Masuda’s ceramic sculptures are filled with humor, surprise and originality, so that people can enjoy them by just looking at them. However, it is important to remember that Masuda wants to express an interesting concept through his whimsical sculpture.
When artwork is created out of unexpected material, or uses unusual motifs or forms, people are surprised and often confused. Masuda suggests that this confusion comes from the preconceived notions people have about ceramics. In order to make people rethink their preconceived notions, Masuda tries to remove from his pieces all the customary characteristics of ceramics, like the firing effect, glaze, curved line or functionality.
However, Masuda’s pieces do inherit some characteristics of traditional Japanese works of art; for example, he focuses on intricate details and he employs the kind of humor we often observe in some NETSUKE and UKIYOE woodblock prints. This dichotomy is visible in the appearance of his sculptures as well. The motifs of Masuda’s sculpture exist in a two-dimensional world, but he expresses them in three-dimensional forms.
The boundaries within the arts has become blurred in recent years, so it is not surprising that a ceramic artist, like Masuda, has emerged with his unique concept that hopefully will be appreciated in a variety of ways.
