Kaneko built his first Dangos, named after Japanese dumplings, in 1983 at an industrial kiln in Omaha, Nebraska, provided by the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. These hand-built monoliths were six feet tall and weighed five and a half tons upon completion. Since this first experiment with scale, Kaneko’s creativity and ingenuity have produced Dangos over thirteen feet in height. Yet for Kaneko, the scale of his Dangos is inherent to their form. He says, “Oftentimes I am asked why I make such large-scale work. In making any object, we cannot escape the problem of scale. I believe each form has one right scale. Whether I’m making a large or small object, in the end I hope it will make sense to have that particular scale and form together, and that it will give off enough energy to shake the air around it.” Kaneko’s Dangos have been recognized not only as the largest free-standing ceramic art pieces in the world, but as iconic masterpieces of contemporary art, represented in the collections of art museums and cultural institutions around the world.
Sketchbook with designs for four Dangos, c
1983
Graphite, felt tip pen and ballpoint pen on paper, 11.5 x 8.5 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Sketchbook with layout for kiln load
2006
Graphite on paper,11 x 8 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Sketchbook with designs for two Dangos, c
2009
Graphite on paper, 6 x 9 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Sketchbook with designs for six Dangos, c
2009
Graphite on paper, 6 x 9 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Sketchbook with designs for six Dangos
2013
Graphite and colored pencil on paper, 11 x 8 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Sketch
2013
Sketchbook with designs for six 11-foot Dangos, c. Graphite and colored pencil on paper, 11 x 8 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Jun demonstrating his process to students.
2009
Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, Japan.
Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama
Jun demonstrating building a Dango to students.
2009
Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, Japan.
Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama
Jun building a Dango in Omaha studio.
1987
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Jun building a Dango in Omaha studio.
1999
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Susan Schonlau
Bisque-fired Dangos in the kiln at his studio.
2015
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama
Jun examining bisque-fired Dangos in the kiln at his studio.
2016
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Ree Kaneko
Jun glazing a Dango in Omaha studio.
2011
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Ree Kaneko
Jun glazing a Dango in Omaha studio.
2009
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama
Jun glazing a Dango in Omaha studio.
2005
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Jun removing masking during the glazing process.
2000
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Susan Schonlau
Jun examining one of the first major glaze kiln loads from his largest kiln.
2013
Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Ree Kaneko
Untitled, Dango
2018
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 105 x 42.75 x 22 inches.
Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama
Untitled, Dango
2016
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 85.75 x 31.5 x 23.5 inches. Collection of Vulcan Inc.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 61 x 64.5 x 17.5 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 23.5 x 18 x 7 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 108.5 x 54.75 x 34.75 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1986
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 70 x 29.5 x 22.5 inches. Collection of Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2000
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 32 x 32 x 12 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
1986
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 71 x 27 x 22 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
1989
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 33.75 x 23 x 14 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 106 x 55 x 33.75 inches.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1988
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 26 x 24 x 20 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 33 x 18.5 x 14 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 108 x 53.25 x 34.75 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1998
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 31 x 33 x 12 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 108.5 x 46.5 x 27.5 inches. Collection of Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2010
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 32 x 21.5 x 14 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 59 x 54 x 11 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2009
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 65.5 x 80.75 x 19.5 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 61.5 x 57.75 x 19 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2014
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 88 x 31 x 23 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 85 x 25 x 16 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2011
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 73.5 x 33 x 22.5 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 74.75 x 74.5 x 24.5 inches. Collection of The Hastings College Foundation, Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2017
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 61 x 64.5 x 17.5 inches.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2018
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 48 x 43.5 x 15.75 inches.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2014
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 25 x 14 x 9 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 67 x 29.5 x 18 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1992
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 64 x 71 x 56 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2008
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 85 x 75 x 24 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 85 x 64 x 24 inches.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2012
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 53 x 54 x 15 inches. Collection of the Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton, Denver, CO, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 83 x 29 x 18 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2009
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 54 x 35 x 18.5 inches. Collection of Commerce Bank Kansas City, MO, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1991
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 58.75 x 64.75 x 56 inches.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 43.5 x 21 x 12 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 72 x 32 x 18 inches. Collection of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2009
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 64.75 x 76.5 x 24.75 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
1993
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 71 x 52 x 21.5 inches. Collection of Hotel Mulia Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 123 x 56 x 38 inches.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1992
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 15.5 x 15 x 12.5 inches. Collection of the Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation, Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 84 x 70 x 27 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2013
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 40 x 34 x 30 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2011
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 85 x 32.5 x 21.5 inches. Collection of The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1992
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 76 x 34.5 x 22 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
1996
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 67 x 63 x 14 inches. Collection of the ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2015
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 47 x 27 x 17.25 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1996
Hand built and glazed ceramics with gold lacquer (kintsugi), 39 x 57 x 18 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
1989
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 67 x 31.75 x 21.25 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 72 x 26 x 13 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2009
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 72 x 80 x 28 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jim Grot
Untitled, Dango
2007
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 71 x 29 x 13.75 inches. Collection of the Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation, Omaha, NE, USA.
Photo: Dirk Bakker
Untitled, Dango
2011
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 56 x 62 x 43 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1996
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 57 x 77 x 60 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2015
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 59 x 28 x 19 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
1988
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 70 x 33.5 x 18.5 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio
Untitled, Dango
2016
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 16 x 9.25 x 6 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Colin Conces
Untitled, Dango
2006
Hand built and glazed ceramics, 82 x 29 x 17 inches. Private collection.
Photo: Jun Kaneko Studio