For our first participation in Collect Art Fair in London, we focused on three Japanese female ceramicists, highlighting the richness of their creations.

For a long time, the Japanese ceramic world was thought to have been dominated by men. However, the role played by women in making pottery throughout history is now becoming recognized.

Everything started changing after World War II when Japanese society underwent significant transformations. Women gained more access to higher education, and university ceramic programs started accepting them.

Emerging as independent voices, these women experimented beyond traditional pottery, moving away from functional objects to sculptural creations.

By redefining what ceramics could be, they were no longer just craftspeople but artists in their own right, opening the way for the next generation. More importantly, they did not just break into the field but changed it. Today Japanese women are at the forefront of contemporary ceramic innovation. Still deeply connected to Japanese aesthetics and culture, they combine tradition with modernity. 

Among those female ceramicists whose works are derived from the legacy of these pioneers, our gallery had chosen to exhibit three of them at the Collect Art Fair last February in London. They are from the same generation: Chisato Yasui was born in 1984, Teruri Yamawaki in 1989, and Sayuri Ikake in 1990. Although coming from different backgrounds, they reunite in their choice to create sculptures in ceramic that challenge expectations.

Sayuri Ikake explains her artistic approach as being a combination of ancient art representing nature as such and her willingness to create a shape for the shape itself. “The color is beautiful for its color”, says Sayuri when asked about it. The elaborated inclusion of pigments inside the clay magnifies its impact and Japanese paper is added to the clay mix, helping to stabilize and strengthen the material. 

Movement is essential to Sayuri’s work, representing the breathing of the shape, its connection to reality. As essential as memory, emotion and human senses. “If you succeed in transferring those into art work, the purpose is met.” Sayuri Ikake is passionate about artistic expression; her work is a meticulous combination of traditional gestures and innovative techniques that serves the purpose of expressing her belief in Eternity. 

Chisato Yasui finds it fascinating that in ceramics, the artwork itself becomes the narrator, expressing emotions and revealing the visible context of the unknown. It is a sort of rebirth when clay is transformed into ceramics; and when she holds the completed pieces, they convey to the artist a sense of original and unidentifiable context. 

Chisato’s art pieces explore these liminal spaces, offering viewers an opportunity to contemplate hidden dimensions of our world and their connection to our own subjective experiences. Her works' interaction with existing constructs is intended to stimulate viewers' exploration of their own new contexts.

Teruri Yamawaki expresses her feelings and thoughts through her ceramic works; building a piece from scratch with clay is like chanting sutras for her. Through the mysterious presence of her works, she hopes that the audience will feel at ease. She sees her creation as the birth of a new friend, or even an amulet that would bring peace to the viewer. Not only now, but for eternity. Indeed, when a ceramic work is fired, it will live longer than us and will pass on that warmth to the future. 

Artists Profiles