En Iwamura
4 collaborations
En Iwamura makes pop ceramic characters with cartoonish humour and calm spirit. The Japanese philosophy of Ma is a key inspiration. This is a concept where relationships between objects, spaces and people are created – invoking tangible energy and feelings. As an example, Iwamura etches repeated lines into his clay figures. These recall the raked patterns found in Zen Buddhist gardens to evoke Ma. Like US contemporary Arlene Shechet, Iwamura experiments with ceramic patinas, shapes and scales. He hand-mixes glazes to provide unexpected modern colours and textures. By contrast, his watercolour paintings are reminiscent of 1960s artist Ken Price. With him, he shares a love of precise, fluid forms and acid colours. Other inspiring artists include contemporaries Katharina Fritsch and Ugo Rondinone.
