Sleek and smooth, the sculptures of pale blue-glazed porcelain by ceramic artist Fukami Sueharu are sometimes compared to blades or spacecraft. Their shape and scale are unusual for porcelain work—it’s difficult to create large objects from the dense material. They do not appear to made by human hands. They demand reverence and distance, as though they were never touched and remain untouchable. They differ significantly in this respect from the traditional Japanese approach to ceramics, in which exploring and feeling the texture with one’s own hands is an important aspect of appreciation. And yet the aloof aura of a Fukami sculpture does not completely overcome such a desire.