Katsuyo Aoki: The Divine and Vulgar
Katsuyo Aoki is an extremely talented Japanese ceramist. Her work most often includes a set of whimsical looking skulls. These works are part of her Predictive Dream Series. The skulls are beautifully ornate and made of delicate porcelain. Clearly, they hold a specific message-- however, this message is often unclear at first do to the conflicting themes represented in the pieces. But these conflicting themes are the exact point that she is relaying. Aoki says herself, "In fact, the several decorative styles and forms I cite simultaneously hold divine and vulgar meaning in the present age, having an irrational quality that contradict each other, which I feel express an important aspect in the contemporary age in which we live."