East and West
We are delighted to present East and West, a book dedicated to the work of artist Yoshimi Futamura.
A Prehistoric Gesture in a Connected World
At a time when our era is shaped by the immediacy of the Internet and the dematerialization of the world, ceramics demands of the artist a radical return to matter. Kneading the earth, breathing the dust, feeling the raw heat of the kiln — these gestures are, for Yoshimi Futamura, almost prehistoric. Yet far from being an escape from the present, this practice is a profoundly contemporary act.
The Legacy of Bernard Leach
The title of this book pays homage to Bernard Leach’s Beyond East and West, a work that has accompanied Yoshimi Futamura since her student years. Like Leach before her, she explores the bridges between East and West, seeking a delicate balance between tradition and modernity.
The Franco-Lebanese painter and sculptor Simone Fattal brings to Yoshimi Futamura’s work the gaze of both a friend and an artist. Her text, shaped by over twenty years of closeness, guides us to the heart of these sculptures ; their raw matter, their monumentality, their strange and powerful presence in the world.
Pierre Gautier, art historian at the Musée Cernuschi, places Yoshimi Futamura’s work within both a historical and cultural perspective. From Jōmon ceramics to contemporary Japanese masters revealing the depth of the roots that run through each of her creations.
Tadayuki Minamoto photographs Yoshimi Futamura’s sculptures with exceptional closeness, capturing the variety of their materials, the richness of their textures and the force that emanates from them.
Printed in France by ICI — limited edition of 500 copies.