Located on the first floor of the Kyocera Head Office in Fushimi, Kyoto City, lies the Kyocera Museum of Art. From June 9 through July 9 of 2017, the museum will hold a special exhibition called "Rin/Ten — Encounter of Fine Ceramics and Art" which features approximately 20 new artworks by Jumpei Ueda, an up-and-coming young artist who practices arts with “ceramics” and among the exhibited works, most use Kyocera’s fine ceramics. This event is a great opportunity for art enthusiasts to discover the beauty of Japanese ceramics art.
Fine ceramics (also known as advanced ceramics) are widely used for industrial or electronic components in various applications including automobiles and smartphones, however, they have rarely been used in the arts because they are generally considered difficult materials to process — although aesthetically attractive. Ueda was excited to take on the challenge of working with a new type of pottery using fine ceramics, and Kyocera hopes to let people see the attractiveness of fine ceramics and their potential in the arts. As both parties share a similar goal, the company decided to hold the special exhibition to display the works by Ueda.
As for the meaning of the special exhibition title, “Rin” is taken from the Japanese words “rinkai” (critical), “rinkaku” (profile), or “rinsetsu” (adjoining); and “Ten” is taken from “hanten” (return), “tenkai” (development), or “setten” (contact). A combination of “rin” and “ten” also connotes “rin-ten” or “rinne,” which is reincarnation in Buddhism. The exhibition will allow visitors to experience extraordinary feelings created by the works that seem simple at a glance but are actually complex and look inorganic but are actually full of life.
