This exhibition surveys the work of Minneapolis–based artist Tetsuya Yamada (Japan, b. 1968), whose interdisciplinary practice amplifies the poetry found in the everyday. From exquisitely crafted ceramic sculptures to delicate drawings to documentation of the artist’s self-organized installations in surprising sites around the Twin Cities, the featured works highlight Yamada’s engagement with the connections between life and art.
Yamada’s artistic influences include the ancient Japanese forms of Noh theater and the traditional tea ceremony; the punk rock and skateboarding cultures of his youth in Tokyo; the modernism of Constantin Brancusi and Isamu Noguchi; and the democracy of the “readymade” object espoused by Marcel Duchamp. Many of Yamada’s pieces include found materials, such as sawhorses, plywood, shards of glass from his own backyard, or natural elements, in combination with his ceramic objects. His wide-ranging artistic practice is guided by sensitive material attention, a practice of “listening” to the behavior of substances, objects, and spaces.
The exhibition, the first US museum presentation of Yamada’s work, features more than 50 works from 2001 to the present, including sculptures in ceramic, wood, and metal; paintings; drawings; photographs; video; and a site-specific installation in Cargill Lounge.
Curatorial Team
Curators: Siri Engberg, senior curator and director, Visual Arts; with Laurel Rand-Lewis, curatorial fellow, Visual Arts
Accessibility
For more information or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
Before Your Visit
Paid underground parking is available on-site. Enter the ramp on Vineland Place at Bryant Avenue. Biking or taking Metro Transit? Learn more.
Visiting the galleries? Enhance your experience by joining a public tour or with self-guided resources accessible for free on Bloomberg Connects.
Personal photography is permitted throughout the Walker and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, but please turn off the flash when visiting the galleries.
To help us promote future events and programs, this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.
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