Ito Keiji: Prayer – Now, the Future
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| From the top left side：1. 《Embrace》2015 Rakusui-tei Museum of Art 2. 《Measure: Face to Face》2010 3. 《HIROSHIMA-Face》2011 4. 《Bust》2010-11 5. 《Dishes（Mirror letter of Hiragana）》Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu 6. 《HIROSHIMA-Testimony》1975 Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu |
ITO Keiji (b. 1935) is an artist born in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, where he continues to live and work to this day. After studying oil painting at Musashino Art School (now Musashino Art University), he returned to the Mino region and began working at the Gifu Prefectural Ceramics Research Institute. There, a pivotal encounter with ceramic designer HINENO Sakuzo (1907–1984) marked the beginning of Ito’s serious engagement with ceramics.
His ceramic journey began with handmade craft vessels, but soon expanded into sculptural forms and ceramic-based objects. Over time, his practice came to embrace a wide range of media, unfolding with a light, fluid, and unbounded energy.
At the heart of Ito’s diverse body of work lies a sincere gaze directed toward the human spirit, everyday life, and the world we inhabit. Quiet yet deeply resonant, his works invite contemplation of the foundations of our daily existence and the structures of the society that surrounds us.
This exhibition presents a selection of his most iconic series—such as HIROSHIMA, Silence, Measure, and Prayer—as well as a new installation created especially for this occasion, offering a view into both his creative journey and his ever-evolving present. As Ito continues to create with quiet determination and authenticity, his practice feels like both a question posed to time—past, present, and future—and a quiet form of prayer.
