46. Matsutani Fumio  松谷文生

Fumio Matsutani was born in 1975 in Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island and studied at Kyoto Saga University of Arts with the renowned Masayuki Imai. In 2007, he became independent and settled in Tobe, in Ehime Prefecture.

In the work of Fumio Matsutani work seems to blur the line between form and function, they are utensils such as cups, bowls and vases but more than that they are independent works of art, with their own almost architectural design and he uses polychrome textures to draw attention to the ceramic surface. His meticulous hand can be seen in the hand incised textural surfaces that reveal a perfect, monotone yellow, blue, black or brown. His research into color, surface and form has often been associated with architectural forms, an area that fascinates him immensely. Because of his perfectionist attitude, the processing time is long because the process of forming and incising is carried out several times before a surface is created that meets his high standards and he finally finishes the object by glazing and firing it.

Fumio Matsutani is a rising star in the Japanese ceramic landscape. He received divere awards such as the Excellence Award at the 33rd Tanabe Art Museum Tea Ceremony Exhibition Grand Prize Exhibition (2017) and has tent exhibitions in renowned galleries and museums. His works are in the collections of Tanabe Museum of Art (Shimane), the Hyogo Ceramic Art Museum, the Minneapolis Museum of Art and the Oakland Museum of Art among others.