Etsuji Noguchi 'Object' (2)

Dimensions: H 5.5cm x W 30.5cm 

Materials: Wild Clay

Method:  Hand turned 

Care: Water-tight and food-safe. Wash gently by hand.

Description

This object is a double-sided pedestal form, balanced between function and abstraction. One side is flat and grounded, while the other curves gently upward into a shallow, dish-like surface, suggesting quiet potential for holding or display. Its surface is richly textured, with layered tones of moss and verdigris green, evoking the slow transformation of metal, stone, and time. At once sculptural and adaptable, it invites shifting perspectives and use.

About the Artist

Etsuji Noguchi is a contemporary ceramic artist based in Kagoshima prefecture. His fascination with Yakishime pottery from Tanegashima, a southern island of Japan, instigated his relocation to the island in 1999. During his tenure at Tanegashima, Noguchi devoted his days to various activities such as excavating and processing clay from the mountains, preparing firewood, and firing pottery in traditional kilns. His experience using naturally sourced raw materials continues to shape his work and is fundamental to his practice.

Noguchi's mastery of firewood kilns is particularly evident in his latest series, Verdigris Green. These dynamic, finely made pieces murmur through hues of chromium oxide to rich copper green. This hum of colour is echoed in the tactile moss-like surfaces he achieves by adding an accumulation of ash during the firing processes. The resulting works blur the line between contemporary pottery and historical artefacts, endowing them with an enigmatic beauty that leaves the origins of these pieces unclear, an ideal that Noguchi is seeking within his work.