GO FOR KOGEI

Ethnography of the Body and Material — Slowness and Depth in an Accelerated Society

ARTISTS
Yoca Muta


Based on the ceramic painting techniques of Kutani ware, Muta uses the medium of ceramics to reinterpret the marginalized female figure and interpretations of nature within Japanese culture. Her central focus in recent works is the yamanba, or “mountain hag,” of Japanese folklore—a character known for embodying contradictory qualities such as motherliness and violence, blessing and terror,and the sacred and the vulgar. Despite being an established part of Japanese traditional folklore,the yamanba is also a representation of femininity that deviates from established systems and order.
The female figures depicted in Muta’s ceramic paintings are not externally objectified as “women to admire,” but instead constructed from the perspective existing within the female artist herself. Therein, nature transcends the role of mere background; it is depicted as an extension of the body and emotions, merging reality and fiction as well as real and imaginary presences. The uneven, hand-built forms and the painting process also express the fluctuating, multi-layered nature of female bodies and experiences into a visible form.
For this exhibition, her works are on display in a small space at the rear of the ground floor, facing the canal. Situated at the boundary between the city and the water, the interior and the exterior, this low-ceilinged space with its exposed rustic wood accentuates the marginality and ambiguity of her work. Here, the image of the yamanba does not represent oppression or fear. Rather, it is a silent yet powerful vision that reconnects the female body with nature, resonating with the time of Venice.

＿
1.Yoca Muta, Installation view. Photo: Noriyuki Ikeda
2.Yoca Muta, The pot of pulses, 2026. Ceramic. Photo: Noriyuki Ikeda
3.Yoca Muta, Mountain Man, 2026. Ceramic. Photo: Noriyuki Ikeda

*日本語はコメント欄へ