Bridge of Phantom

Tsuboi Asuka, artist

1932–2022

Bridge of Phantom, 2006

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: stoneware; glaze; string

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 19 x 9 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 7 1/2 x 3 9/16 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: Friends of the Art Museum

Accession number: 2006.0093

On display: Lee Study Center

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Label texts

Form & Flux: Contemporary East Asian Ceramics and Surface Stories

Tsuboi Asuka broke into the male-dominated world of Japanese ceramics early in her career. After a 1966 trip to China, where she witnessed the harsh use of self-criticism during the Cultural Revolution, she began creating conceptually driven ceramics that questioned women’s roles in Japanese society. In this work, she transforms the delicate, pliable form of a traditional kimono bag into a solid, substantial piece, reflecting her investigation into femininity and material culture.

Exhibition Label:
"Japan Re-imagined/Post-war Art," Mar-2008, Kris Ercums
Tsuboi broke into the male-dominated world of ceramics at an early age, but only began to distinguish herself after a 1966 trip to China, where she was greatly affected by the
diabolic use of self-criticism to humiliate and brainwash intellectuals during the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Upon her return to Japan she began to produce conceptually based ceramics that question the
place of women in Japanese society through an investigation of the material culture of fabric and textiles associated with femininity. In this work, she renders the stylish bag carried by women wearing the traditional kimono, transforming the pliable, delicate form into one of solidity and substance.