Masamichi Yoshikawa
Japanese Ceramic Artist
“BREAKING PORCELAIN TRADITION TO CREATE THICK SCULPTURAL FORMS, BOLD, & COVERED WITH POOLING & DRIPPING GLAZE”
For Masamichi Yoshikawa, one of Japan’s leading ceramic artists, “ceramics exists at the intersection of sculpture and painting”. His sculptures, though often vessels, feel architectural: constructed with solid walls, grounded in their foundations. Yet their surface becomes a dynamic canvas, a field of tension between expressive sgraffito lines and serene Seihakuji glaze – a technique in which he is widely recognised as an innovator.
The sgraffito represents his view that “the act of drawing is an instinctive human impulse”, an ancient yearning to create. “My sgraffito lines emerge from this desire to express instinct freely and intuitively”, he explains – a process of liberation. The immediacy of his mark-making is alive with the moment of creation. Yet, the luminous, milky blue of Seihakuji glaze lends a quiet emotive power. “Seihakuji glaze, to me, is like a spring quietly welling up from deep within. It holds a vitality and life-giving energy not found in other materials — a kind of source of life in itself.” With this combination, Yoshikawa fills his vessels with a depth of feeling.
Yoshikawa continues to question the boundary between remaining in the traditional framework of craft or seeking beyond it. To him, however, both hold fascinating potential. He finds himself moved by ceramics of the past, such as the archaeological discoveries of ancient Chinese ceramics, and feels these inspirations take root in the body. The vital “urge to form, draw and express” becomes an embodied experience for Yoshikawa: what he seeks is to “stay honest to this inner drive”.
