Kimiyo Mishima

Humour and a serious message expressed in breakable printed matter
Mishima has made ‘breakable printed matter’ since 1971 when she began producing sheets of newspaper and advertising flyers. She prints silk-screen images onto the clay, creating highly realistic versions of printed materials. Mishima , who was always interested in printed items, uses her work to send a message about the frightening, accelerating growth of waste, the information age, and environmental problems. These ‘ceramic print items’ redefine information as a physical entity and use humour to scathingly criticise the way that today’s generation is surrounded by, and enslaved to, ever more enormous quantities of information.
The modern age is overflowing with information. Obviously we are afraid and apprehensive of the nonstop information that comes before our eyes daily, but we also harbor a deeper fear of being inundated
in the flood of information …In my work, when a certain space has been created, I hope there will be a dry humor that includes the fear and apprehension of modern times.
From “Printed Matter That Became Ceramic Art,” Kimiyo Mishima. Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Art, Vol.15, ‘Exploring new from’ Kodansha.1985.
49: Package’74
50: Copy’78―’80
51: Comic Book’80