Arts / Galleries

Japanese Artist Mari Tanimoto Makes Her U.S. Debut at Dallas’ Peter Augustus Gallery

Glimpse into Tanimoto’s Whimsical World at the Dallas Art Fair This Weekend

BY // 04.21.23

Mari Tanimoto proves herself a sculptural storyteller with her new exhibition, Story Time, at Dallas’ Peter Augustus Gallery. This will be the first solo show in the United States for the artist, who hails from Hyogo, Japan, and holds a master’s in sculpture from Kyoto City University of the Arts.

The exhibition is a whimsical look into Tanimoto’s world: The artist paints fantastical and fairytale-like scenes on her ceramics, with imagery inspired by the natural world. Each piece of pottery tells a story, hence the name “Story Time.” Tanimoto also works with oil paints and oil pastels, creating canvases that are layered with colors and motifs. 

Peter Augustus Gallery focuses on presenting artists from the Asia-Pacific region, many of whom are making their U.S. solo debuts. Tanimoto’s work will also be on view at Peter Augustus Gallery’s booth at the 2023 Dallas Art Fair

PaperCity spoke with Mari Tanimoto about her U.S. debut. 

MT_Installation1
Mari Tanimoto’s “Hide the Eggs” and “Foggy Pot 2” (Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)

Caitlin Hsu: You use ceramic as your canvas, opting to paint directly on clay rather than using traditional glazing techniques. Why did you choose this method? In your opinion, what are the merits of painting on clay versus glazing? 

Mari Tanimoto: I didn’t study pottery. Most of my methods are self-taught. The first time I used glaze, I drew a picture with the glaze on the surface of a small cup. When I fired it, the glaze ran off and the painting dripped, making it impossible to tell what was originally painted.

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Seeing that phenomenon, I didn’t think I had “failed.” Rather, something interesting happened! I was so excited. With oil paints and watercolors, you can paint as you please, but on the other hand, there are not many surprises. I think the appeal of pottery is that you don’t know what the result will be until you try it. There are times when all the paintings that I have drawn over time have disappeared. In the end, I think it’s interesting to entrust it to the kiln and fire.

I am experimenting with painting with different glazes. Recently, I’ve been using a traditional underglaze called Gosu, and I think I’m using it more freely and more like paint than other potters. I wonder if there are few restrictions because I haven’t learned properly. I think so.

CH: The title Story Time is inspired by the fact that each ceramic can be read as a story. Can you give us one or two examples of your ceramic pieces and the stories they tell?

MT: The story behind ceramic is something I do not foresee. As I draw, something like a story naturally emerges. For example, in the largest vase, [Hide the Eggs], I first drew a bird with cloth hanging from its legs. Then, as I drew plants and other creatures, I imagined that birds brought cloth to hide their eggs from other strange creatures.

Hide the Eggs 2023 Ceramic Approx H19 x W15.7 x D13.4 in (Photo by Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)
Mari Tanimoto’s Hide the Eggs, 2023 at Peter Augustus Gallery (Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)

Now for the smaller pieces, Foggy Pot 1 and 2, and Green Arm. [For Green Arm], at first, I wanted to draw a winged person, but the wings ended up looking like leaves. After that, when I was drawing a flower, the human body and the flower were connected. When I drew the arms and flowers as they were, they looked like someone whose body had been invaded by a plant, so I changed it to a surprised expression. While drawing in this way, a story is born in parallel.

MARI TANIMOTO_April2023 8 (Photo by Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)
Mari Tanimoto’s Green Arm, 2022 at Peter Augustus Gallery (Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)

CH: The exhibition also features oil and oil pastel paintings. What is the inspiration behind the paintings? Do they also read as a story, like the ceramics? 

MT: There isn’t much of a story behind the oil paintings. After it’s almost finished, I sometimes imagine, “This looks like a flower. Or it looks like eyes, so maybe I should make it a face.” Compared to pottery, I feel that oil paints and oil pastels are more fluid and have more elements. I don’t even draw a sketch. I draw it on the canvas straight away. I feel that the painting is completed after playing on the canvas, guided by the colors and textures.

CH: You hold a master’s degree in sculpture. Why did you pick sculpture as your medium?

MT: At the beginning, I enrolled in the design department. It was because I wanted to get a job that would direct space. However, after entering university, I felt that what I wanted to do was not suitable for the design department.

At my university, sculpture was the most liberal major. Unlike traditional sculpture, which has a so-called heavy and hard image, everyone was very free to choose materials and media to create their works, such as installations, videos, and paintings. So, when I was 19, I switched from the design department to the sculpture major. I think sculpture is one way to unleash the senses.

Fluffy 1 2023 Oil and Oil Pastel on Canvas Approx 31.6 x 25.6 in
Mari Tanimoto’s Fluffy 1, 2023 at Peter Augustus Gallery (Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery) (Photo by Image courtesy the artist and Peter Augustus Gallery)

“Story Time” by Mari Tanimoto will be on view at Peter Augustus Gallery through May 6. Learn more here

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