SEKISUI: The Flow of Sado Earth
Ito Sekisui VI’s First Hong Kong Solo Exhibition
2026.10.02 - 2026.10.31
Exhibition Statement
"May my works forge a sanctuary of quiet refuge for your soul."
— Itō Sekisui VI
To me, truly moving curation is about listening to the quiet rhythm breathing beneath a work—feeling how an artist pours a lifetime into creation. Touch Ceramics is deeply honored to invite the 6th Itō Sekisui (Mr. Itō Hidetake), master of Mumyoi pottery, for his very first Hong Kong solo exhibition.
This narrative begins in Sado Island, Niigata—home to the 2024 UNESCO World Heritage Sado Mine. Its foothills cradle Mumyoi, an iron-oxide-rich mineral glowing in a deep crimson. Historically valued in China as a medicinal substance, and used in the Edo period for remedies and furnace materials, this fine earth was pioneered into Mumyoi-yaki in the Meiji era by the 9th-generation Tomitaro under the name "Sekisui." Despite high shrinkage and glaze limits, Master Sekisui views using Sado's native red earth as an inescapable destiny—the living bloodline of the gold veins.
Standing before the legacy of his father—the 5th Itō Sekisui, a Living National Treasure—the 1977-born master returned home with a 2001 philosophy degree. Gazing upon the fierce waves and rugged rocks of the Sea of Japan, he carved out a refined contemporary path.
To capture this century-old dynasty, the exhibition also features a rare curation of limited masterpieces by the 5th Itō Sekisui. From the father's fiery yohen (kiln transformations) to the son's fluid line patterns, father and son converse in one space. His "Gray Series" pairs stone-like tactility with quiet tension and faint ripples; the "Black Series" contrasts deep obsidian glazes against the vibrant Mumyoi core; and his blends of Mumyoi with white Nosaka clay evoke the serenity of sea and sky.
"May my works forge a sanctuary of quiet refuge for your soul," the Master wrote.
Over nine years in this gallery, I have watched countless artists pour their souls into their creations, illuminated by such dedication and tenderness. We invite you to Touch Ceramics to quiet your mind and experience the pulse of Sado's earth through the deep affection Itō Sekisui VI projects into clay.
Enders Wong
Founder & Curator, Touch Ceramics
