Ceramic Totems – “Japan 1968” Exhibition

In December 2025, on the occasion of the exhibition “Japan 1968”, Retour De Voyage Gallery presents an original series of seven totemic sculptures created by Pierre Sgamma.

Ceramics conceived by Pierre Sgamma

Conceived as a coherent ensemble, this series reflects a desire to close the year on a joyful, free and slightly offbeat note, without abandoning the depth of the sculptural gesture.

Inspired by Japan-inflected imagery, shamanism, and a form of personal mythology, these ceramic statues fully embrace a playful dimension: covered with flowers, signs and colours, the totems open wide, round eyes onto the world.

Pierre Sgamma invents a personal mythology populated by benevolent guardians, floral spirits and deities that bring a smile. One moves from one figure to the next as if through a strange and joyful tale, where the sacred finally agrees not to take itself too seriously.

Gokurin, “the Totem of patient earth”

A totemic statue with a discreet gaze and no expressive mouth. Its eyes, barely open, seem to emerge from the material itself. The surface, marked with organic patterns and golden traces, evokes a slow memory—that of fire, soil, and time.