An installation view of works by Shio Kusaka.

 (b. 1972) has become known for her playful and open approach to the ceramic medium, as well as her characteristic line work and intuitive sense of color. Kusaka crafts vessels that embrace organic imperfections, recurrent techniques and patterns, and imagery that alludes to historical and contemporary forms.

Kusaka was born in Morioka, Japan, and moved to San Francisco in the early 1990s. After receiving her BFA in 2001 from the University of Washington, Seattle, she moved to Los Angeles, where she currently lives and works.

In early 2020, the historic Neutra VDL Studio and Residences in Los Angeles held a solo exhibition of Kusaka’s work, curated by Douglas Fogle and Hanneke Skerath. Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, the Netherlands, held the two-person exhibition 

 in 2017. Kusaka’s work has also been included in important group exhibitions, such as the Whitney Biennial (2014); 

Going Public: The Napoleone Collection – International Art Collectors in Sheffield,

 Graves Gallery, Sheffield, England (2016), which traveled to Touchstones Rochdale Museum, Rochdale, England (2016–2017); 

, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio (2017); and 

Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019

, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2019–2022).

The artist's first solo exhibition with David Zwirner, 

, was presented at the gallery's 19th Street location in 2022.

In 2021, Kusaka was awarded the Isamu Noguchi Award alongside Toshiko Mori.

The artist’s work is held in public collections worldwide, including the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio; The Broad, Los Angeles; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar, the Netherlands; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Explore solo and group exhibitions from Shio Kusaka at David Zwirner.

Shio Kusaka - Exhibitions

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Shio Kusaka - Selected Press

Feature by Katherine Guimapang

The 2021 Isamu Noguchi Award goes to artist Shio Kusaka and architect Toshiko Mori

Feature on Pen

Shio Kusaka and Subversions of Japanese Pottery

Feature by Maximilíano Durón

Parting Ways with Gagosian, Sculptor Shio Kusaka Joins David Zwirner

Feature by Jennifer Piejko

Like the Best Guest at a House Party: Shio Kusaka

Review by Michael Slenske

Playful clay: Shio Kusaka’s vibrant vessels arrive at LA’s Blum & Poe

Review by Andy Campbell

Shio Kusaka

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View selected works by Shio Kusaka, who has become known for her playful and open approach to the ceramic medium.

group 38

(line 103)

Shio Kusaka & Jonas Wood

(dinosaur 35)

(wood 2)

(strawberry 44)

(carved 104)

(dinosaur 23)

(grid 98)

Shio Kusaka - Works

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Shio Kusaka - Artworks & Biography

David Zwirner is an art gallery with locations in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Hong Kong. We present physical and online exhibitions, podcasts, books, and more.

Shio Kusaka

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