With a steadfast commitment to materiality, Yamada's ceramic-based multimedia works evoke the "readymades" of the 20th century
From ceramic objects that reflect an extraordinary level of technical and aesthetic sophistication to dynamic sculptures and video installations, the interdisciplinary practice of Twin Cities-based artist Tetsuya Yamada (born 1968) blurs the lines between art, design and craft. Yamada's influences include the ancient Japanese forms of Noh theater and the traditional tea ceremony, the modernism of Constantin Brâncusi and Isamu Noguchi, and the democracy of the found object espoused by Marcel Duchamp. Foregrounding found materials including plywood and shards of glass, Yamada characterizes his process as "listening" to the quality of his materials. The design of the catalog for the first United States museum presentation of his work regards these influences not as tensions but as complementary facets of a grounded, holistic practice. Listening features more than 60 works from 2005 to the present, including sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs, videos and an environmental installation.
"This catalogue accompanies the Walker Art Museum exhibition of recent and new work by Twin Cities -- based artist Tetsuya Yamada (Japan, b. 1968), whose interdisciplinary practice blurs the lines between art, design, and craft. From ceramic objects that reflect an extraordinary level of technical and aesthetic sophistication to dynamic sculptures and to video installations, the featured works highlight Yamada's engagement with the connections between life and art. Yamada's influences include the ancient Japanese forms of Noh theater and the traditional tea ceremony, the modernism of Brancusi and Isamu Noguchi, and the democracy of the found object espoused by Marcel Duchamp. The design of the catalogue holds these influences not as tensions, but as complementary facets of a grounded practice. The exhibition, the first US museum presentation of Yamada's work, features more than 60 works from 2005 to the present, including sculptures in ceramic, wood, and metal; paintings; drawings; photographs; video; and an environmental installation. This publication features many of the works, and includes an interview with the artist and in depth essay by exhibition curator Siri Engberg" --
