MONO-SOLUM
Tracing the Lineage of Reclaimed Bizen-Yaki

https://the-continue.com/en/mono-solum/
 

EARTH, MEMORIES IN PERPETUITY.
The kiln is where an irreversible transformation takes place--where clay is extracted from the natural order of things to be captured in time as a work of Bizen-yaki ceramics, within it inscribed a record of the earth's journey through fire and time.

Derived from the Latin mono (one, unique) and solum (earth, soil),
MONO-SOLUM is the title of a line of ceramic artworks that lays bear the "earth's memories" through the restoration of residual shards of Bizen-yaki pottery, a traditional art form developed in Okayama, Japan.
Skilled kamabito ("masters of the kiln") fire clay dating back to the Cretaceous period, the key component of the artform. The trajectory of thousands of years of history packed into the clay is expressed in an entirely new way with each kiln-firing. In this body of work, ceramic shards that have already undergone a first firing are returned to the kiln, where the clay itself expresses yōhen (kiln transformation) anew. In doing so, a fleeting moment in which past, present, and future overlap is sealed serenely within a frame.

The exhibition venue, Biblioteca Ostinata, is a space open to citizens of Milan, dedicated to the accumulation, interpretation, and dissemination of knowledge. 
Within its walls, the architecture of Michele De Lucchi serves as a backdrop for the intermingling of the earth inhibiting the Bizen works and the repositories of crystalized knowledge nestled in the surrounding bookshelves, creating a dialogue that invites us to inspect the passages of time inscribed in clay.

Fragments (past), contemporary art (present), restored Bizen (future).
Each temporal element converges in this library of clay, where an accumulation of artistry and craftsmanship softly sets the stage for the future of Bizen-yaki, and by extension, the future itself. 

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MONO-SOLUM —Tracing the Lineage of Reclaimed Bizen-Yaki —

Date: Monday, April 20 - Sunday, April 26, 2026    Time: 10:00-18:30
Venue: Biblioteca Ostinata / Via Osti 6, 20122 Milan, Italy
Web site：https://the-continue.com/en/mono-solum/

Related events:BY INVITATION ONLY
Apr 23, 16:00–17:30 [Talk Session]
Apr 23, 18:00–19:30 [Reception Party]

Organizer: the continue. Co., Ltd.
Creative Direction: Yusuke TAGUCHI (YUSUKE TAGUCHI DESIGN)

Participating Artists (Kamabito):
Sō ISEZAKI, Hiroshi TOYOFUKU, Takushi TAKAHARA, Toshihide ŌAE
Framing: Mayo YOSHIDA (kuroganeFrame)
Interior Design and Installation Support: In Fieri srl, Alessandra Scarfò Design
Fragrance Direction: Rika TERASAWA (limetta.)
Supported by: Biblioteca OSTINATA, KOGEI Collaboration Kitamae-bune, Naoyoshi ITANI (TSUNAGITE inc.),
Ekaterina De Andreis (EKADEA studio) , fujieu

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