Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound

On View December 18, 2025, to August 23, 2026

Jun Kaneko in Studio with Mirage, 2016. Acrylic on canvas 9’ x 66’ x 2.5”. Copyright Jun Kaneko Studio LLC.

The exhibition Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound celebrates the Tampa Museum of Art’s recent acquisition of Jun Kaneko’s (Japanese-American, b. 1942) monumental sculpture Untitled (Dango). Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound represents the first major exhibition of Kaneko’s oeuvre in Florida and will present an overview of the artist’s prolific career—from the early sculptures he made as a member of the influential California Clay Movement in the 1960s to the groundbreaking projects that blurred the boundaries of painting, ceramics, and sculpture. The title Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound, serves as a metaphor for the artist’s creative process and the Japanese concept of Ma, an idea defined as a pause in time. Each application of glaze and paint is carefully considered with the appropriate space between the mark or gesture. This negative space, or silence, is equally important to the overall balance, harmony, and pattern in Kaneko’s artworks. TMA’s new acquisition of Kaneko’s Dango will anchor the exhibition.

Jun Kaneko (Japanese-American, b. 1942), Untitled, 2018, Hand built and glazed ceramics, 104 ¼ x 40 ½ x 21 ½ inches. Tampa Museum of Art, Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by The Brabson and Bierley Families, 2024.460

Jun Kaneko (Japanese-American, b. 1942), Untitled, Head, 2019, Hand glazed cast raku ceramics, stainless steel, 69 x 20 x 24.5 inches. Jun Kaneko Studio.

Introduction

For the past six decades, Jun Kaneko has defied what is possible with clay. Admired across the globe for his creative achievements, Kaneko is described as a pioneer—a trailblazing artist who continues to experiment in a range of media. His story begins in Nagoya, Japan, where Kaneko’s mother recognized his artistic talents. In the early 1960s, his desire to be an artist led him to Southern California. Through serendipitous encounters, Kaneko befriended the artists who collectively forged new directions in ceramics and were described as the California Clay Movement. After this influential time in Los Angeles, Kaneko traveled extensively, teaching and making art, before laying roots in Omaha, Nebraska.

Kaneko is revered for his innovative ability to push the boundaries of scale and form—blurring the lines of ceramics, sculpture, and painting. He continues to build the largest freestanding ceramic sculptures that exist today. Time is not rushed in his studio; however, each project is carefully planned, as large-scale works may take up to three years to make from start to finish. This includes phases of building, drying, sanding, glazing, and a 30-day continuous firing in the kiln. Built to his specifications, Kaneko’s kiln reigns as one of the biggest private kilns in the world.

The exhibition Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound surveys the artist’s prolific career. With nearly fifty works spanning Kaneko’s sixty-year career, the exhibition presents a mere snapshot of his extensive catalog that has expanded to glass and opera set designs. Here, his large-scale ceramics are placed in dialogue with his paintings and drawings to highlight the unifying relationship between pattern, color, and brushwork. The title of the exhibition, Silence Before Sound, refers to the Japanese concept of Ma, a principle inherent to Kaneko’s practice that emphasizes the importance of space, quiet—even stillness—between gestures and objects.

About the Artist

Jun Kaneko in Omaha Studio glazing 2015. Copyright Jun Kaneko Studio 2025.

Born in 1942, Kaneko studied painting and drawing with Satoshi Ogawa in Nagoya, Japan. After his arrival in California in 1963, the artist enrolled at the Chouinard Art Institute. Kaneko taught at Rhode Island School of Design, Scripps College, and Cranbrook Academy of Art. The artist has received invitations to participate in renowned international residencies including the European Ceramic Work Centre, The Netherlands; Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics Company, Shigaraki, Japan; The Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia; and Aguacate, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, and his art resides in prestigious public and private collections across the globe. Today, Kaneko continues to work every day in his studios in Omaha, Nebraska. Learn more about Jun Kaneko.

Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound is organized by the Tampa Museum of Art in close collaboration with the artist, his studio, and the Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation.