Critic’s Choice: Humble ceramics in a stunning installation at Blum & Poe

The presentation of Japanese ceramics at Blum & Poe is spectacular, but two other aspects of the current show are also noteworthy.

The first, and most likely to get visitors through the door, is its guest curator: Takashi Murakami, the most recognizable name in contemporary Japanese art and a major figure internationally.

Maker of flagrantly exuberant political pop in a wealth of forms (painting, sculpture, installation, as well as Louis Vuitton handbags), Murakami traffics in humor and history, sex and death in his work, mining traditions both Eastern and Western.

One thing he is not typically associated with is quiet elegance, in which this show abounds. A serious student of Japanese culture, Murakami has been, for the last decade or more, immersing himself in the Buddhist-based rituals and implements of the tea ceremony. He has been supporting contemporary ceramic artists whose work draws from those traditions through shows staged in a cluster of Tokyo galleries he operates. The Blum & Poe project reveals, tucked within Murakami’s expansive enterprise, a deep respect for the humble and the down-to-earth.

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The second remarkable aspect of the show is its stunning installation, designed by Murakami with the three featured artists: Kazunori Hamana, Yuji Ueda and Otani Workshop. Islands of moss, bark or stone serve as bases for works on view, these natural materials underscoring the earthen origins of the clay sculptures and vessels. Shelving in worn, repurposed wood does much the same. A lacquer-red wall-mounted metal circle segmented into a grid of shadow boxes neatly offsets the subdued palette of the dozens of objects showcased within.

The exhibition checklist has 52 entries, but a far greater number of pieces fills the gallery. The shelving features clusters of tiny cups, along with tea bowls, plates and little human and animal-based figures. These aren’t individually attributed. Together with the installation itself, this further reinforces the common sensibility shared by the artists, one favoring rustic imperfection and simplicity.

Many pieces have rough textures, their surfaces fissured and peeling like parched earth. Tones tend toward ash and stone. One large vessel by Hamana, its exterior matte white and gray like a delicate charcoal rubbing, has a gaping split at the bottom. Ueda shows several ruggedly cracked glazed panels that read as pure, dense records of the scorching heat and energy of their firing. Standing near the center of the room is Otani’s huge “Child With Stripes,” a kokeshi-doll of sorts with a serene expression, tree trunks for legs, and a basic garment of heavy canvas.

Such reductive form is characteristic of the work here, whether figurative or functional. Throughout, the artists nod reverently -- but also with boldness and a sense of mischief -- to Japan’s rich, long history of pottery, from ancient terra-cotta burial figures to everyday domestic objects imbued with the aesthetic of grace, humility, incompleteness and impermanence. An exhilarating show.

Blum & Poe, 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 836-2062, through Oct. 24. Closed Sunday and Monday. www.blumandpoe.com