Chawan

by Canton-sardine

Curators
Bryan Mulvihill
Lam Wong

Exhibition Dates
June 18 – August 20, 2022

Chawan means teabowl in both Chinese and Japanese. A remarkable variety of teabowls have been used in Chanoyu, the art (or way) of tea, since its beginning. Asian teabowls – Chinese, Korean, Chinese-influenced Japanese, Korean-influenced Japanese and bowls with original Japanese sensibility – were traditionally selected to complement the overall theme of the specific tea gathering as well as the feeling of the season. Hence, chawan reflects a world of exceedingly fine distinctions. By familiarizing oneself even modestly with the varieties of shape and the production sources of chawan, one gains insight into East Asian ceramics as a whole. Appreciating chawan cultivates an understanding of their myriad forms and also the variations among the kilns that fire them.

Curated by Bryan Mulvihill and Lam Wong, the Chawan exhibition presents teabowls drawn from private collections and from ceramic artists in the Far East and the Canadian West Coast, and from the Japanese Chanoyu tradition. The exhibit focuses solely on ceramic teabowls used in Chanoyu, the art and way of tea. The first of its kind in Canada, the exhibit offers the public a unique opportunity to appreciate this beautiful art form.

The Chawan exhibition opens at Canton-sardine on June 18th and runs through August 20th, with an opening reception on Saturday, June 18th from 12 to 6 pm.

ARTISTS:

Bamboo Mountain Studio
David Flynn
Naoko Fukumaru
GO DONG
Hu Wei
Lyn Johnson
Charmian Johnson
Danny Kostyshin
Heinz Laffin
Jiasen Lee
Glenn Lewis
Sakai Matsumoto
Kimura Morikasu
Kimura Moriyasu
Michael Morris
Bryan Mulvihil
Gailan Ngan
Wayne Ngan
Nancy Nguyen
Seji Okuda
Leo Ray
John Reeve
Lari Robson
Mr. & Mrs. Shinohara
Robert Stickney
Nao Suganuma
Genki Takbayashi Roshi
Patti Thompson
Don Wong
Lam Wong
He Shen Zhou Sam

Acknowledgement

The curators wish to thank: David Flynn, Smoked Grain, Douglas Chang, AI&OM Knives, Sida Chan, SunZen Gallery, Keith Snyder, Tozenji, Urasenke Vancouver Branch, TeaArt Canada, Leo Ray, Naoko Fukumaru, Nancy Nguyen, Jane Henry, Michael Henry, Xiang Ran, Ayako Sakaino, Gina Zuiten, Patti Thompson, Gareth Sirotnik, Patricia Chew, Danny Kostyshin, Hank Bull, Sonja Arntzen, Richard Lynn, Pedro Villalon, Steven Dragonn, staffs of Canton-sardine and UBC Asian Centre, the volunteers and most importantly the chawan artists for their participation and support to the Chawan exhibition.

Further readings

  • List of Chanwan (pdf)
list-of-chawanDownload