Kohiki tea bowl c. 20th century

Tsujimura Shirō made this Kohiki tea bowl; he’s still alive and working, as far as I know, and that’s kind of exciting. It's like a conversation across time, right? The bowl has this casual, almost accidental quality. The glaze, thick in some spots and thin in others, creates a surface that’s so tactile, like it's daring you to touch it. It’s also not trying to be perfect, which I love. Look closely and you'll notice these small, almost imperceptible variations in the glaze. There are a bunch of little rust colored speckles and faint grey rivulets that run down the sides. This gives it an incredible depth, like looking at a landscape in miniature. The slightly wonky, uneven rim makes it feel even more handmade. It reminds me of Lucio Fontana's slashed canvases – both celebrating the act of making and embracing imperfection. It’s like they're saying, "Hey, art doesn’t have to be slick; it can be raw, immediate, and full of life."