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.

Tsukimi, “the Totem of the nocturnal watch”

Tsukimi stands out through its delicate balance of verticality, refined surface drawing and strong sense of presence.

Evoking a lunar figure, it remains upright and composed, like a silent guardian, bringing an immediate feeling of calm and stability to the surrounding space.

The contrast between its pale face, gently marked by time, and its richly decorated body highlights the finesse of the surface work. Floral motifs, drawn with remarkable precision, form a continuous mantle somewhere between textile and bark, inviting prolonged observation. Each encounter reveals new details, deepening the viewer’s attachment to the piece.

Through its quiet strength, poetic restraint and ability to accompany space without dominating it, Tsukimi asserts itself as an ideal collector’s sculpture — an original, enduring and deeply inhabited work, capable of forming an intimate and evolving relationship with its owner.