Ki: Kaze ni tatsu (Spirit: Rising on the wind), 2014

Born in Kyoto in 1947, Fukami Sueharu belongs to a generation of ceramic artists in postwar Japan who have devoted themselves to the creation of sculptural ceramics, free from traditional forms. His characteristic works of cool, pure beauty testify to his impressive inventiveness and sensitivity with regard to form. Today, Fukami is internationally known for his polished, razor-sharp, minimalist porcelain sculptures with elegant seihakuji, or pale bluish, glaze, inspired by Chinese qingbai porcelains of the tenth to thirteenth centuries. Since 1967, when he was twenty years old, his works have been exhibited numerous times in Japan and abroad. His artworks are in at least forty-eight museums worldwide, by far the most of any other living Japanese artist. Fukami can therefore be said to be not only the most successful living Japanese ceramicist but also the most successful living Japanese artist working in any medium.
The size of the seihakuji sculptures that made Fukami famous is unusual for works in porcelain because porcelain is a much denser material than stoneware, and large objects are therefore extremely difficult to make. His impressive monumental sculptures do not look as if they were created by the hand of a human being. With clean lines and exquisite craftsmanship, Fukami's porcelains have been compared to many different objects, including blades, spacecraft, and even lily pads. While evoking some sense of familiarity, they demand reverence and distance.