The Nature of Things – A Personal Portrait of Asahiyaki in Kyoto by Robert Wiezorek

I’ve been interested lately in how I can bring some form of natural expression in to my own work. I think there’s obviously something appealing about having a clean-cut sensibility in your work, using straight lines and quite contemporary flat colours, but I’ve always thought there has to be a balance, especially when it comes to crafts, as human connection is a very vital ingredient and one of the main reasons why we make these objects.

Robert Wiezorek is a German filmmaker who undertook the project of documenting the work of a traditional pottery workshop called Asahiyaki in Uji, a city just south of Kyoto in Japan. Hosai Matsubayashi is the potter that resides here, an artist who succeeded his father in 2016 and became head of the 400 year old studio. Although they make many functional works with the help of other potters, Hosai himself focuses on making works for the tea ceremony and special exhibitions.

In the video I liked how he talked about how there is a direct expression of nature when he makes his pottery, but it’s his job as an artist to showcase the beauty in the material itself. It’s an interesting thought and one of many that I had as I watched this short documentary piece. I recommend you check it out below and keep an eye out on Robert Wiezorek’s future works. It looks like there will be more to come in the future from him.

film-manufaktur.de
asahiyaki.com

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