Akiko Hirai 'Pod II'

Dimensions - H 14cm x W 12cm

Materials - Porcelain, stoneware blend, and an Ash glaze

Method - Hand-thrown with multiple layers of slips and glazes 

Care instructions - Dust lightly 

Description

Akiko Hirai creates soft, timeless, and remarkably intricate works. Her use of multiple layers of light-coloured glazes and slips results in unpredictable chemical reactions, leaving much more to discover than meets the eye. It is during this process that her signature organic forms start to appear. Her collection for ‘Raw & Refined’ features an array of plates, bottles, and large vessels and bowls, all intimate in their tone and glazing, yet monumental in form and attention to detail. 

The unexpected rough and otherworldly surfaces reflect the irregular and instinctual process that Akiko utilises. Rugged forms contrast the softly coloured glazes, allowing viewers to uncover new intricate details with each glance. Whether in sporadic mossy-green glazes, flecks of gold, or tactile off-white slips, this collection illustrates how Akiko’s style transcends form and texture, and is an attestation to her skill as a ceramicist.

About the Artist

Akiko Hirai blends traditional Japanese and contemporary studio pottery methods. Her motivation to study ceramics came soon after moving to London in 1999, where she was introduced to Korean moon jars in the British Museum. Having been trained at the University of Westminster and Central St. Martins, as well as working as a lecturer and ceramics technician at Kensington and Chelsea College of Arts, London, Hirai is highly acclaimed and sought after by collectors worldwide.

Using a combination of traditional and contemporary pottery techniques makes Hirai a versatile artist who produces a vast range of functional objects and artworks. In her process of craftmaking, she relies on instinctual impulses and often shuns away from her rhythm being static or repetitive.