Chariots on Fire introduces: 

Makoto Kagoshima

“What I create for Chariots on Fire embodies what I have experienced of the climate of Los Angeles.”

— Makoto Kagoshima

Makoto Kagoshima, based in the southern island of Japan, approaches the composition of his ceramic work in individual and hand-crafted nature.  His practice is to draw images on clay:  simple, yet evocative renderings — roses in exuberant bloom; birds mid-flight, or in open song — which depict the natural, and at times, the unnatural, world.  Each illustrated motif remains entirely one-of-a-kind, the culmination of a series of distinct, refined techniques and Kagoshima’s vivid expressivity.

The story of the artist’s relationship with Chariots on Fire begins from a place of discovery: Chariots director Ritsuko Yagi found herself captivated by a particular ceramic plate, one which bore a flower in earth-toned browns, itself modest, yet etched into the clay with an essential, expressive playfulness.

The piece brought a sense of immediate, undeniable excitement — so much so that a trip to the artist’s atelier in Fukuoka soon followed.  There, Yagi was introduced to Makoto Kagoshima’s work by the artist himself:  before her unfolded the full scope of his compositional sensibility, ranging in subject matter from not only florals, but animals — fantastical, animated ones, rendered through a vibrant interplay of colors. A certain kinship between the pair proved all but instantaneous, and Yagi was swift in putting-forth her invitation:  might Kagoshima present his work for the first time in the U.S. at Chariots on Fire?

What began as Kagoshima’s debut at Chariots on Fire has blossomed into a near 15-year journey—woven through exhibitions and collaborative projects that speak to a shared spirit of creativity. At intervals inspired by intention and invitation, the artist devotes himself to creating a body of work, as commissioned or curated by Ritsuko Yagi, the provenance of which can be traced through the perpetually-evolving features of Kagoshima’s subject matter.  Says the artist:  “What I create for Chariots on Fire embodies what I have experienced of the climate of Los Angeles.”  It was during the 2014 “Ode to Summer” exhibition — which featured motifs responding to the Venice Beach location of Chariots — that Kagoshima accompanied Yagi on a spontaneous trip to Joshua Tree; there-after, a strange, never-before-seen breed of botanical leaves began to materialize within his work, re-assembled from the artist’s impressions of the desert landscape.

And as they continue to explore both familiar and unfamiliar “facets-of-living” whether in Japan, Paris, London, Finland, or beyond — the friendship between Kagoshima and Chariots on Fire likewise expands from its foundation of good-humored, ever-flourishing conversation and creative exchange.

—Venice, California, March 2021