Thursday Salute to Originals: Pixelated Ceramics

Ceramics are typically considered as pots and other articles made from clay and hardened by heat. But one contemporary artist has redefined conventional ceramics! Toshiya Masuda creates ceramics in pixel aesthetics that are both whimsical and nostalgic.

Toshiya Masuda makes 3D sculptures that are reminiscent of video games from the 1980’s. His aim is to show the differences between real objects and unreal objects. Masuda’s inspiration consists of recreating everyday objects and iconic pop images. “He uses porcelain cubic pixel blocks as his language, and by flattening various phenomena and conventional wisdom shaped by existing objects and ideas, expresses the contemporary world symbolically.”

Instead of following the rules of traditional ceramics, Masuda has invented his own process. He does not use a glaze or fire his pieces. In ceramics, there are pre-conceived notions as to how an object is produced as well as the visual outcome. Masuda works against that stereotype and enjoys the freedom of expanding boundaries with his work, allowing each object to unfold as it is created.

Masuda would like his audience to question if what they are looking at is what they are really seeing. He feels that when taking a closer look at his work an individual can relate because there is a story that is shared between the individual viewing his art and the piece itself. When constructing art that resembles everyday objects, it is easy to find a common ground.

This Thursday we’re saluting Toshiya Masuda and his 3D ceramic sculptures! Every sculpture represents a quirky recreation of a real-life object.  His work is unusual and can be appreciated for its use of form to blur the boundaries of reality.

Sources: Toshiya Masuda, This is Colossal