Open Call: Toubako, Ceramic Art Box Exhibition Project

Open call

Musubu Espai Cultural opens the call for participation in the Toubako exhibition project, inviting artists, ceramists, and interested creators to present ceramic boxes in an exhibition dedicated to exploring creativity, technique, and artistic expression through ceramics.

Objective of the call

To promote artistic creation in ceramics through the making of boxes as sculptural and functional objects, encouraging experimentation with forms, textures, and concepts.

Conceptual framework

We propose as a starting point the Japanese tradition of ceramic boxes “Tōbako”, works of art in themselves. Their interest lies in the combination of practical function, aesthetic value, and cultural significance. They are boxes made mostly of ceramic and can be sculptural, minimalist, or highly decorated, with a great diversity of forms, sizes, and closure systems, adapted to each object. They are often considered pieces of contemporary Japanese art. They are often kept inside a kiribako, which is a preservation and storage box and which is an important part of the work, as it documents its provenance and adds historical and artistic value.

The historical journey of Tōbako, from Japan to Europe, is linked to the artistic and cultural exchange between both continents. In Japan, these boxes emerged in relation to the protection and documentation of valuable objects, especially ceramics, tea ceremony utensils, and works of art, and formed part of the artisanal tradition linked to collecting and the practice of tea since the Edo period (17th–19th centuries). Each piece was usually kept in a Kiribako, a paulownia wood box on which information about the work, its author, or its provenance was noted.

From the second half of the 19th century, with the opening of Japan to international trade following the Meiji Restoration, many Japanese objects began to circulate throughout Europe. This phenomenon coincided with the rise of Japonisme, which awakened great interest among European artists, collectors, and museums. Ceramics, lacquerware, prints, and their preservation boxes reached private collections and international exhibitions.

During the 20th century and especially in the field of contemporary ceramics, the idea of the box as an autonomous artistic object began to influence European ceramists. Inspired by the Japanese tradition, many artists adopted the concept of the box as a symbolic or sculptural container, reinterpreting it with new materials and languages. In this way, the tradition of tōbako not only reached Europe as part of Japanese art collections, but also influenced Western contemporary ceramics, where the box became an artistic format with multiple meanings and formal possibilities.

Characteristics of the works

The pieces must be boxes made primarily in ceramic. Techniques such as stoneware, porcelain, clay, or other ceramic techniques will be accepted. The works can be functional or sculptural. Each participant may submit up to 3 works.

Registration process

Participants must submit: