Of the bywords used to describe Milan Design Week , “ritual” and “contemplation” rarely make the cut. In a new collaboration between Prada Home and a quartet of Japanese ceramic artists, developed and curated by American multidisciplinary artist Theaster Gates , these concepts are at the center of the conversation.

For the exhibition “Chawan Cabinet,” named for traditional Japanese tea bowls or chawan , Prada and Gates present limited-edition ceramic vessels by Taira Kuroki of Kyoto, Shion Tabata of Karuizawa, Japan, and Yuichi Hirano and of Koichi Ohara of Tokoname, Japan, all friends of Gates from his time studying the culture of pottery production in Tokoname, beginning two decades ago.

“Chawan Cabinet” is on display inside Prada’s new Via Montenapoleone retail space in Milan.

The collection—which includes titular chawans along with sake cups and bottles, tea sets, platters, and more—takes a variety of forms and hues, from modest in earthen shades of brown, yellow, and green to more robust in elegant…