Keiji Ito (b.1935, Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan) works freely across a wide range of media, from functional tableware, to expressive ceramic sculptures, painted tableaux, charcoal, collage, and installation. Throughout his prolific creative journey spanning six decades, Ito has maintained an unpretentious dedication to his craft. It is no question that Japan's ceramic culture is among the world’s oldest: for more than ten thousand years, people in Japan have kneaded, shaped, and fired clay as part of everyday life. Ito carries on this legacy, but does not rely on the values of the past. Instead, his works ask what spirituality may mean beyond religion, mapping its social field within contemporary society. 

Ito’s legacy as a ceramics pioneer in postwar Japan is also carried forward through his commitment to preserving that trauma. He was nine years old when World War II ended. While he did not experience the devastation firsthand, his practice contemplates how trauma can be inherited and remain in the collective cultural memory long after the events themselves have passed. His dedication to making extends beyond technique; it forms an integral part of his life philosophy. To reflect on oneself in daily life can, in itself, be a form of artistic expression. Through craft and everyday vessels, Ito shares the profound sincerity of what it means to live and keep on living.

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