10/17/2026
in passing
Kiichi Takeuchi Solo Exhibition Kiichi (工芸生態系観測員 世界BF値導入推進委員会ニューヨーク本部長)
October 21-October 31, 2026 | 12-6pm
(No Opening Reception, Closed on Mondays)
Meet the Artist
Saturday, October 24, 2-5 PM
Saturday, October 31, 11AM-2 PM
Gallery Wave | 1031 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022
tel. 347-601-4323 | email: [email protected]
in passing brings together two bodies of ceramic work by Kiichi Takeuchi, Kimono Saggar and Momoke. Through different approaches to working with clay and fire, Takeuchi explores how objects take shape through processes of building, removing, and allowing materials to become.
In Kimono Saggar, Takeuchi reinterprets the traditional ceramic saggar, a protective container used during kiln firing. He creates openings that allow flame, ash, and v***r to enter and leave marks on the vessels inside. The saggar becomes both a shelter and a tool for directing fire. Each finished surface emerges from a balance between the artist’s decisions and the unpredictability inside the kiln. Momoke emerged in 2024 when Takeuchi started to work with locally excavated wild clay from Long Island and Pennsylvania. The Japanese term describes a soft, slightly worn or frayed quality. He works directly into the clay, cutting, scraping, and carving away material with industrial tools such as saw blades, steel pipes, and chisels rather than traditional pottery tools. Using a layered construction technique known as nerikomi, Takeuchi builds forms that resemble geological formations. As he removes material, the layers underneath become visible. The surfaces carry marks of both the clay’s natural qualities and the physical process of shaping it.
Both series collectively explore how materials respond to the artist’s actions. Fire passes through openings and leaves marks on the clay. Layers are built up and cut away to reveal what lies underneath. Each piece carries traces of how it was made, what has once been there and is no longer visible.
