Arnoldsche Weekend Art Gallery #19

Artist list

Thomas Bohle, Bokyung Kim, Yasuhisa Kohyama, Minsoo Lee, Sebastian Scheid

The artistic connection between Europe and East Asia is rooted in deep mutual inspiration. Since the late 19th century, Japanese woodblock prints have exerted a major influence on European Modernism. Conversely, since the 1950s, contemporary Asian artists have embraced Western techniques and themes, reinterpreting them within the context of East Asian philosophy and religion. The result is a global artistic language in which European stylistic elements, such as abstraction and minimalism, blend seamlessly with an Asian aesthetic of reduction and the beauty of imperfection.

The connection between these diverse ceramic artists from East and West is likewise defined by a profound artistic and aesthetic exchange, as well as high mutual esteem. The exceptional work of the five artists featured in this exhibition stands as an impressive testament to this bond.

The artists are present (with the exception of Yasuhisa Kohyama).

The work of Sebastian Scheid (b. 1962) is characterized by structurally clean forms, often carved directly from solid blocks of clay, which combine powerful monumentality with a minimalist, tactile surface aesthetic. His close affinity to Japanese art stems from several years of training in Japan, where he internalized a deep appreciation for the material combined with traditional mindsets. In his ceramics, he seamlessly blends the Japanese philosophy of imperfection ("Wabi-Sabi") with a modern European design language.

The Austrian ceramicist Thomas Bohle (b. 1958) is one of the few who can create wheel-thrown, double-walled vessels, sometimes in breathtaking sizes. Despite their apparent heaviness, these objects radiate an astonishing lightness and elegance. He applies expressive glazes to his thrown, timeless forms, achieving a sensual aesthetic of stillness that strongly resonates with the tradition and mindset of East Asian craftsmanship.

The extraordinary quality of the porcelain works by Bokyung Kim (b. 1986) and Minsoo Lee (b. 1980) lies in their synthesis of masterful Far Eastern craftsmanship and radical visual reduction. Both artists push the boundaries of porcelain as a material, creating precisely wheel-thrown bowls and vessels that look like three-dimensional studies of color and form. They studied at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, an institution historically and methodically rooted in the tradition of Bauhaus teaching. Consequently, their works draw on the core ideas of artists like Johannes Itten and Wassily Kandinsky: an uncompromising restriction to basic shapes (circles, cylinders), strictly linear ornamentation, and the deliberate use of primary colors (red, yellow, blue) alongside non-colors (white, black) directly translate Bauhaus color theory onto the porcelain surface.

What makes the work of Japanese artist Yasuhisa Kohyama (b. 1936) so distinctive is his uncompromising revival of the ancient, unglazed Shigaraki pottery tradition, creating sculptures of raw, archaic power whose surfaces are shaped solely by the direct effect of wood fire and flying ash in the Anagama kiln. His dynamic works, which often look as if they were carved straight from rock, share a strong affinity with European Modernism—particularly with the abstract-organic sculptures of artists like Henry Moore or Constantin Brâncuși, which evoke archaeological artifacts. This synthesis of pristine Japanese material philosophy and a Western understanding of space and form defines his work, which can be understood as a bridge between traditional East Asian craftsmanship and modern European sculpture.


Opening: Friday, November 6, starting at 6:30 PM.
Duration of the exhibition: 7-8 November 2026, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.