The story behind the pottery
When we visited the studio of ceramic artist Mitsukuni Misaki, many pieces were on display.
”What materials do you use? It looks like ceramic and porcelain are mixed….”
”That’s correct. They are mixed.”
Misaki lined up his work according to the order he made them, starting with the very first piece.
”I studied with many people, so I can make almost anything. But I wasn’t sure what I should make.”
When he became an independent artist, there was always the question ”what do I want to do?”
”So I did many things, including porcelain. At the peak of the bubble economy, I wanted to make something that might shatter just by looking at it. Society was so tense, I wanted to create something that would calm the mind.”
”So how did you come to making this type of work?”
”The work I did in my thirties, it was like a single frame of an animated film. There is tension, but no story. But animation needs to have a story. So I started to make pottery by hand twisting.”
Misaki’s work not only has beauty, but depth and warmth.
Committing to the work with passion
”You’ve won a number of awards so far. What kind of pieces do you want to make in the future?”
To Nakata’s question, Misaki began telling his story.
”It’s a bit of a sad story. When you get old, you lose a sense of impact. So when I participate in exhibitions, I intentionally try to make items with great impact. Otherwise, I forget.”
He continued.
”I also think it would be great to make several pieces to be sold at events like festivals. I had a friend who used to say ’I’m going to write a novel.’ We used to talk about buying each other’s work. That never came to realization, but when I think about it, I think that would be nice.”
What do they want to express? We asked many artists this question throughout our travels.
Misaki still remembers the energy and passion he had when he was young.
