Shozo Michikawa (Japanese, b. 1953) is a ceramic artist based in Seto, Japan where he has maintained a studio since 1975. Michikawa creates expressive gestural sculptures inspired by nature, his native Japanese landscape, and steeped in centuries-old ceramic techniques. First acknowledging the traditional wheel-thrown vessel, Michikawa pushes the form to its extent, scratching and scoring the surfaces as well as twisting the structures along their central axis. The resulting works are quietly powerful sculpture with subtle traces of functionality.
Michikawa has exhibited widely in Japan as well as internationally. His work is included in many important public and private collections including the Shimada City Museum, Japan, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art.
SHOZO MICHIKAWA
Japanese, b.1953
EDUCATION
1971-1975 Aoyama Gakuin University
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Shozo Michikawa, Hostler Burrows, Los Angeles, CA
New Works, Erskine Hall & Coe, London, UK
Shozo Michikawa, Japan Art - Galerie Friedrich Müller, Frankfurt, Germany
2020 Sasama, Erskine Hall & Coe, London
2019 "Power of passion,” GALERIE hu, Nagoya, Aichi,Japan
”40th Anniversary Exhibition,Shozo Michikawa,” Sokyo Gallery,
Kyoto, Japan
2018 ”40ans Shozo Michikawa,” Mizen Fine Art International, Paris, France
”40th anniversary Exhibition,” Galerie Friedrich Muller,
Frankfurt, Germany
”40th anniversary Exhibition,” Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy
2017 “40years 40pots,” Erskin, Hall&Coe, London, UK
“Shozo Michikawa,” Lacoste Gallery, Concord, USA
“Nature into Art,” Silverlens Gallery, Manila, Philippines
2016 “Shozo Michikawa,” Centro Cultural Las Condes, Santiago,Chile
“Shozo Michikawa”Galerie Friedrich Muller
“Nature into Art,” Di Legno Gallery, Singapore
“NATURE INTO ART,” Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center, Seto, Japan
“Shozo Michikawa,” Museo Carlo Zauli, Faenza, Italy
2015 “The Forbidden City,” Erskin, Hall&Coe, London, UK
“Ballades en Terres,” Mizen Fine Art, Paris, France
“Shozo Michikawa,” Puls Contemporary Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2014 “Shozo Michikawa,”Galerie Friendrich Muller, Frankfurt,Germany
“Shozo Michikawa,” Helene Aziza, Paris, France
“Nature into Art,” Galerie hu, Nagoya, Japan
2013 “Shozo Michikawa,” Erskine, Hall&Coe, London, UK
“Shozo Michikawa,” Peter Kummermann, Geneva, Switzerland
“Shozo Michikawa” Nihonbashi MITUKOSHI Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Nature into Art,” MATERIA, Quebec,Canada
“Shozo Michikawa,” Galerie Helene Poree, Paris, France
2011 “Shozo Michikawa,” Erskine, Hall&Coe, London, UK
“The Nature of Clay,” Cavin- Morris Gallery, New York City, USA
“Shozo Michikawa,” Puls Contemporary Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
“Shozo Michikawa,” Terra Rossa, Leipzig, Germany
“Nature into Art,” Galerie hu, Nagoya, Japan
2009 “Nature into Art,” Galerie Besson, London, UK
“Shozo Michikawa,” Art Gallery Oyama, Osaka, Japan
2008 “Shozo Michikawa,” Clara Scremini Gallery, Paris, France
“Shozo Michikawa,” Gallerie hu, Nagoya, Japan
2007 “30 years 30 pots,” Galerie Besson, London,UK
“30 years 30 pots,” IZUKAN GALLERY, Manila, Philippines
“Shozo Michikawa,” Gallery Tokyo Eizo, Tokyo, Japan
2006 “Shozo Michikawa,” Puls Contemporary Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2005 “Shozo Michikawa,” Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville, USA
“Returning to Nature’s Simplicity and Truth,” Shandong Museum,
Shandong, China
“Returning to Nature’s Simplicity and Truth,” Forbidden City,
Beijing, China
“Shozo Michikawa,” Wa-noi, Shizuoka,Japan
“Shozo Michikawa,” IZUKAN GALLERY, Manila, Philippines
2004 “Shozo Michikawa,” Galerie Besson, London, UK
2003 “Shozo Michikawa,” IZUKAN GALLERY, Manila, Philippines
“Shozo Michikawa,” Matsuzakaya Department Store Gallery,
Shizuoka, Japan
“Shozo Michikawa” TOBU Department Store Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2001 “Shozo Michikawa,” UlaanBaatar Art Gallery, UlaanBaatar, Mongolia
“Shozo Michikawa,” TOBU Department Store Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2000 “Shozo Michikawa,” TOBU Department Store Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“Shozo Michikawa,” Mitsukoshi Department Store Gallery,
Kurashiki, Japan
1997 “Shozo Michikawa,” Hiraya Gallery, Manila, Philippines
“Shozo Michikawa,” Tokyo Department Store Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1996 “Shozo Michikawa,” Hiraya Gallery, Manila, Philippines
1995 “Shozo Michikawa,” Hankyu Department Store Gallery, Osaka, Japan
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Manpower,Shozo Michikawa and Hans Vangso,A PETERSEN,
Collegtion&Craft,Copenhagen
Design Miami / Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, USA
Design Basel / Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
TEFAF / Pierre Marie Giraud, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Art Fair Tokyo / Sokyo gallery,Tokyo Japan
2018 "60th edition of the Faenza prize,’’ Faenza, Italy
"About a Vase," Museo Montelupo, Montelupo, Italy
"NIHON NOW," Galerie Du Don, Le Fel, France
“Modern Masters,” Munich, Germany
“Masterpieces - 400 Years of Japanese Ceramics,” Hoganas, Sweden
2017 Design Basel / Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Art Fair Philippines, Silverlens Gallery, Manila, Philippines
“Love and Violence”,Mizen Fine Arts, Padova, Italy
2016 "Contemporary Japanese Ceramics,” Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy
Singapore Contemporary Art show, Di Legno, Singapore
2015 “International Ceramics,” Shimada City Museum, Shimada, Japan
“International Ceramics,” Erskin, Hall &Coe, London, UK
2014 “Art Ceram,” Sèvres, France
Japanese Ceramics, Erskine Hall & Coe, London, UK
The Tea Bowl Show, The Oxford Ceramics Gallery, Oxford, UK
ICC Delhi 2014 Art Fair, Delhi, India
2012 International Trade Fair, Modern Masters, Munich, Germany
“The World in a Cup,” NCECA, Seattle, USA
SOFA, New York, USA
COLLECT, London, UK
Han Hyang Lim Onggi Museum, Korea
2011 “Pots from Seven Countries,” Galerie Besson, London, UK
Art of Pacific Asia show, New York, USA
2010 SOFA, New York, USA
COLLECT, London, UK
“Pots & Paper,” Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
Summer Exhibition, Galerie Besson, London, UK
Keramicos Collection, Harlem, The Netherlands
2009 “The Art of Japanese Craft 1870 to the Present,”
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA
“Soft Beauty of Traditional Shinos," Concord University,
West Virginia, USA
SOFA Chicago, USA
2008 “A Japanese Dialogue,” The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
Tutor Exhibition, Sussex Barn Gallery, Chichester, UK
“The Great North Art Show,” Ripon, UK
“Twenty Years, Twenty Pots,” Galerie Besson, London, UK
International Ceramics, Giroussens, France SOFA New York, USA
2006 Japanese Crafts, Galerie Besson, London, UK
2005 Ceramica Mosaico, Ravenna, Italy
Summer Exhibition, Galerie Besson, London, UK
The Signature Shop & Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2004 Maiden Bridge Exhibition, Maiden Bridge Farm, Lancaster, UK
“Japanese Ceramics,” Galerie Besson, London, UK
SOFA, Chicago, USA
2003 Summer Exhibition, Galerie Besson, London, UK
2002 Accompaniments of Tea, Daiichi Gallery, New York, USA
1999 Gallery Pots, Galerie Besson, London, UK
1996 “101 Pitcher Exhibition,” Terres de Provence, Paris, France
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Victoria and Albert Museum,London,UK
Musee Cernuschi, Paris, France
International Museum of Ceramic in Faenza, Italy
Crocker Art Museum Sacramento, CA, USA
Worcester Art Museum, MA,USA
Ashmolean Museum of Art, Oxford,UK
Museo Carlo Zauli, Faenza, Italy
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff,UK
The Museum in Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Shimada City Museum, Japan
Modern Glass & Ceramic Museum of Coburg, Germany
Los Angels County Museum of Art, CA, USA
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK
University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA, USA
China-Japan Exchange Center, Beijing, China
Qinglingsi, Temple, Xi’an, China
SELECTED AWARDS
2019 LOEWE Craft Prize 2019, Finalist, LOEWE FOUNDATION, Madrid, Spain
2018 International Craft Fair, Gold medal, Munich, Germany
2005 CERAM ICAM OSAICO, Grand Prix, Ravenna, Italy
1991 “Shinpei Asai Prize,” Design Forum in Seto, Japan
SELECTED BIBLIPGRAPHY
2017 Henry Verreet: “Terr Art,” Spain
2016 Matteo Zauli: “La CERAMICA,” Italy
Ruth Krauskopf: “ESTEKA,” Chile
Sophie Cavaliero: “Ceramigues Japonaises Contemporaines,” France
2015 Flaminio Gualdoni: “LA CERAMICA,” Italy
2014 Tony Birks: “Ceramics Art and Perception,” Issue 96, USA
2013 Pascale Nobecourt: “Ceramique et du Verre,” Jan/Feb, France
2012 Dr. IChi Hsu: “DAO CLAYFORM,” #2, China
Michael C. Stewart: “Ceramics Art and Perception,” Mar/Apr, UK
2011 Sally Schone: “New Ceramics,” Mar/Apr, Germany
2010 Keramikos: “Keramiek,” #3, the Netherlands
2009 Simon Martin: “Ceramic Review,” July/Aug, UK
Robert Piepenburg: "The SPIRIT of Ceramic DESIGN,” USA
2008 Angelique Escandell: “Ceramique et du Verre,” May/June, France
Felice Fischer: “The Art of Japanese Craft,”
Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA
Michael C. Stewart: “Ceramics Art and Perception,”
Issue 71, USA
