Bonnie Kemske
artist & writer
WRITING
BOOKS
KINTSUGI: THE POETIC MEND
Published by Bloomsbury (Herbert Press)
Published in UK - February 2021
Published Rest of World - April 2021
'Everything with a shape, breaks.' So goes the Japanese saying.
Kintsugi, the Japanese repair technique, takes shards of destruction and creates new pieces with highlighted seams of gold. These golden seams speak of kintsugi’s innate metaphor of fortitude, individuality, and the beauty to be found in the strength of overcoming loss and hardship.
Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend tells the story of this remarkable art form through its technical and practical elements, its origins, and its connections to today’s world. It also includes stories from Bonnie's travels to Japan, where she spoke with artists and ceramicists. The inclusion of their stories and others give the reader an experience of kintsugi on a personal level.
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THE TEABOWL: EAST AND WEST
Published by Bloomsbury (Herbert Press), 2017
Sometimes squat, plain, or appearing roughly made, the Japanese teabowl is enigmatic. Grounded in its function, but communicating something well beyond its utility, this simple form carries an aesthetic loading that translates into myriad levels of understanding - and misunderstanding.
The Teabowl: East and West looks at the context of the teabowl as it arose in chanoyu, or Japanese tea ceremony, through to its importation to the West, and how contemporary ceramicists have added aesthetic qualities and different techniques to the form. It asks the questions: What defines a teabowl and what is its role? What does the teabowl symbolize in Japan and the West?
'Towards the Figure'
In Ceramics and the Human Figure by Edith Garcia.
Published by Bloomsbury, 2012
In this introductory chapter Bonnie uses her wide experience in contemporary ceramics for critical commentary on developments in the use of the figure in ceramics today.
The Ceramics Book, 3rd Edition (2012)
Edited by Bonnie, this full-colour book, published by Ceramic Review, contains photos and artist statements from 270 members' work from members of the Craft Potters Association.