By GASBOOK is pleased to present works of Chisato Yasui, from her solo exhibition, “Whereabouts – In a Liminal State”, held at CALM & PUNK GALLERY in April 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.
Yasui has long explored the expressive potential of ceramics, curiously questioning the boundaries of traditional Japanese pottery.
Working from her tatami-floored home studio in the quiet outskirts of Ibaraki, Yasui has long explored the expressive potential of ceramics through an intimate dialogue between material and body, challenging the boundaries of traditional Japanese pottery.
Bushu (Kanji Component) series
"Shinnyo" (2025)
A focal point of the exhibition, Yasui’s Bushu (Kanji Component) series reimagines the forms and meanings embedded in Japanese characters. The inspiration for the series came from her children’s kakizome (New Year’s calligraphy). Witnessing their freedom in approaching kanji, without being confined by the conventional "rules" taught at school, sparked Yasui’s idea to combine “bushu” (the radicals in kanji) with the notion of liberation and fluidity: stepping outside established frameworks.
Detail of "Shinnyo" (2025)
The piece “Shinnyo” draws its title from a radical found in kanji, layered in soft pinks and lavender hues, the surface of the work reflects Yasui’s approach to inherited forms and her background in oil painting.
"Ichimonji" (2025)
In contrast, “Ichimonji”, another piece from the series, rendered in subtle greens, yet again revealing Yasui’s painterly sensibility.
"plus/minus_neutral" series
Another key series featured in the exhibition is Yasui’s “plus/minus_neutral” series, in which Yasui approached these smaller, white ceramic forms with a sense of play and lightness. A more recent evolution of the series, plus/minus_neutral, was born out of Yasui’s experience visiting CALM & PUNK GALLERY and her exchanges with the staff.
“I felt a sense of lightness, openness, and comfort through my exchanges with the staff—like a cleared field where imagination could freely emerge,” says the artist.Maintaining their matte, white surfaces, the plus/minus works are conceived as organic canvases, inviting the passage of time and potential future interventions.
"plus/minus_neutral_d" (2025)
”en” series
"en3" (2024)