Anjin Abe: Reason and Romanticism

Hiroshi Sasayama

Looking at Abe's Bizen ware, one could easily mistake it for a reproduction of old Bizen. When I first saw it in photographs, I thought that this impression might be due to the special effects of the photography or some sort of visual illusion. When I had a chance to see the actual work, I doubted my own eyes at first. I even wondered if the resemblance might have something to do with the light in the room. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that the unique texture and dynamic form of old Bizen ware could be found in Abe's contemporary work. It was hard to believe. Most observers think it is impossible to duplicate the characteristic appearance of old Bizen, and I agreed with this opinion. I had always thought that it was necessary to recognize today's Bizen ware as appropriate to today. Abe's pottery overturned this common wisdom and all my preconceptions, so it took me some time to accept that fact. How could this be possible? When I had a chance to talk to Abe, I hoped that I could discover his secret.

I should make it clear at this point that I do not believe there is anything particularly remarkable about firing pottery in the same way as old Bizen. I would not praise a technique simply because it was capable of producing copies of old Bizen ware. If Abe was the sort of potter who could be satisfied with merely copying old Bizen, his work would not be interesting. He would have failed to understand the true meaning of the technique of old Bizen, the technique that makes it possible to achieve truly fine pottery. What I am interested in is Abe's view of pottery, his way of observing and thinking, which forms the basis for his process of recreating old Bizen. When I first saw his work, I thought that there must be a dynamic or reason already at work that overturned my common-sense views and preconceptions.

The main points of Abe's theory of pottery have been introduced in exhibition catalogues and magazine articles, so his fans may be tired of hearing about them by now, but I cannot help mentioning them here. One example of a critical treatment of Abe's views is the foreword to the catalogue for Abe's solo exhibition at the Osaka Nichido Gallery written by Shuzo Yasui. Yasui introduces Abe's ideas about pottery as follows:

"It is impossible to understand ceramic if you think of it as clay. For example, you can think of it as a metal containing impurities. Iron with a lot of impurities. That is ceramic. Carbon is necessary to make good iron. Carbon and iron are connected by water, so the main thing is to control the amount of moisture effectively." When I hear this, all my dreams and romantic feelings about pottery are shattered, and it becomes plain and lifeless. Abe's work is too rational. He structures his creative process by first establishing 1. Then 1+1 becomes 2. 2+2 becomes 4. However, such rational calculations cannot stimulate an emotional reaction toward the work created. Isn't it more important to have "emotions," "taste," "dreams," and "romance" that cannot be explained with logical reasons?

Many people who love pottery might agree with this, but I see it differently. For example, Abe has said, "Although this might seem like an impertinent thing to say, what I am seeking is not a reproduction or copy of old Bizen. I want to make something that transcends or overcomes it" (quoted in the article mentioned above). I perceive "dreams" and "romance" in these goals that Abe sets for himself. I believe that Abe is a romantic. "Emotions" and "taste" emerge from a collision between romantic dreams and the physical process, chemical changes induced in elements like iron, carbon, and water by the effects of heat and pressure. Abe's Bizen ware is not remarkable only because it boasts an appearance that could be mistaken for old Bizen. It is a wonderful original achievement in contemporary ceramics because it expresses Abe's romantic emotions and dreams. It goes without saying, however, that the romantic effects sought by Abe are backed by reason. Abe's reason is based on a straightforward way of seeing that apprehends reality accurately and gives inevitability to the process of forming pottery. Abe would probably say, "Reproducing old Bizen ware is not that difficult." If the process of making pottery is treated as the inevitable chemical changes in matter that occur under the effects of heat, old Bizen appears of itself. It is just that contemporary people have lost the ability to see, and the methods for dealing with, this inevitability. That is why Abe does not think that transcending and overcoming old Bizen is such a terribly audacious thing, although he calls it "impertinent." According to Abe's principles of ceramics, it is necessary to "overcome" old Bizen ware. Although he approaches it somewhat humbly, he gives it solid tactile qualities. Abe told me that "the existence of pottery is like a great surge of the human spirit. Making vessels with ceramics is just a part of this." The task of transcending and overcoming Old Bizen leads to a place that could be called the "true path of pottery." When we ask what ceramics means to human beings, we find that it occupies a profound place in human existence. It is a place where the primal need to create things appears in a clear form along with the natural reason that is involved in the formation of all things in nature.

During the last two or three years, Abe has been expressing himself artistically by making sculptural objects without a practical use. At the same time, he has also started making oil paintings. Since he painted during his teens and twenties oil is a familiar medium to him, but he has not painted for many years so he is still going through a period of warming up.

In his ceramic sculptures, Abe is currently concentrating on the motif of the Kewpie doll. This work is meant to express a gap in cultural consciousness between America and Japan, and it also makes a statement about the condition of contemporary art. Abe believes that literary and narrative qualities should be restored to art, so he does not follow the formerly prominent trends of Minimalism and Conceptualism. At first glance, his work seems to be characterized by a quality of Pop parody, but his obsessive attention to detail results in an original style that goes beyond a superficial Pop Art. Abe brings out the tactile qualities in his ceramics in a way that cannot be found in anyone else's work. To those who see Abe only as a potter who makes tea ware in the Bizen style, his ventures into sculpture and painting may seem like sidelines. Certainly, there are many artists who take an interest in activities that are not related to their main work, so this is not necessarily a bad thing. However, as can be understood from what I have written above, Abe has arrived at a position, or is moving toward a position, where the reasons behind the making of things are clear in all his endeavors - whether firing Bizen ceramics, making sculpture, or painting pictures. They are all equally valuable to Abe. Considering the ceramic work apart from the painting, Abe's Bizen ware and his sculptural objects both occupy a place in the world of ceramics and are given a meaning as part of a "great surge of the human spirit." Abe, as a true maker of art, presents us with an expansive image of ceramics that exemplifies this "great surge of spirit," and I look forward to seeing more of his remarkable work.