Takuro Kuwata 1

Tea Bowl, 2017 Porcelain, Glaze, Gold sculpture by Takuro Kuwata

2017

Tea Bowl
2017
Porcelain, Glaze, Gold
16.5 x 20.5 x 16.5 cm

In this work, Takuro Kuwata transforms the archetypal Japanese tea bowl into a gleaming object of contemporary sculpture. Unlike many of his Shino-inspired bowls, where the emphasis often lies in radical surface experimentation with thick glazes and bursting textures, here Kuwata adopts gold as the central medium. Gold, a material with deep historical resonance in Japanese art and tea culture, is traditionally associated with refinement, luxury, and the aesthetic of kintsugi repair. Kuwata elevates this heritage, but instead of subtle accents he engulfs the entire form in radiant brilliance.

The surface is richly encrusted, alternating between crackled, molten-like textures and smoother reflective areas. The result is at once organic and architectural: the bowl appears as though it has crystallized naturally, a precious object born of geological or alchemical processes. The form retains the humility of the tea bowl’s silhouette, yet the material transformation destabilizes its everyday function, turning it into a commanding sculptural statement.

By using gold in such abundance, Kuwata reorients the tea bowl away from its utilitarian roots and into the realm of the symbolic. It becomes both an homage to tradition and a radical reinterpretation — an object where craft, luxury, and contemporary experimentation converge.