Nonaka-Hill Kyoto is pleased to present Sea of mud, wall of flame, a two-person exhibition by Satoru Hoshino and Masaomi Yasunaga, on view from June 14, 2025. This marks the first collaborative presentation by the two ceramic artists, initiated by Yasunaga’s invitation to Hoshino.

The artists first met at Osaka Sangyo University’s Department of Environmental Design, where Hoshino taught and Yasunaga studied. What began as a teacher-student relationship evolved through academic exchange, and, after years of working along separate paths, was renewed in recent years, culminating in this shared exhibition. For Yasunaga, encountering Hoshino’s work as a student was a formative moment—one that decisively shaped his artistic trajectory.

The exhibition title, Sea of mud, wall of flame, draws on personal experiences that both artists have had with the overwhelming forces of nature. The memory of landslides, fire, and elemental upheaval does not merely inform their choice of material—it is inscribed into the very surfaces of their work.

Hoshino’s practice, rooted in his early involvement with the postwar ceramic collective Sōdeisha, spans over five decades. In dialogue with him stands Yasunaga, a younger artist recognized for his radical use of glaze as a primary sculptural medium. Though separated by generation and method, their approaches resonate deeply. United by a deep sensitivity to material and a shared conviction in form-making, the two artists confront earth and flame together, charting a shared language in clay and fire that transcends generation and method.

In this exhibition, we are pleased to present Sea of mud, wall of flame, a new collaborative work by the two artists, created using the traditional ceramic technique known as yobitsugi.