Spheres, clusters and polka dots
Harumi Nakashima is an artist who was born in Ena City, Gifu, the city known for pottery. He has dedicated himself to making pottery pieces from when he was enrolled in art school. He encountered the formative art of ceramics while studying in the design course at Osaka University of Arts, and has devoted himself to the art ever since.
Many of his work has a bumpy, sphere-like form, which seems hard to imagine from the word “”ceramic””.
The polka-dots scattered on his pieces draw people into a different world, like none ever experienced before.
Ceramics are “organic”
When Nakata heard that Nakashima’s works are all ceramics, he kept asking “”how do you shape them?”” Ceramics are usually shaped using a potter’s wheel, but his pieces do not seem to be shaped that way. In fact, they are shaped by hand. He encountered this method while conducting his creative work overseas.
Some of the work he showed us were made when Nakashima was in his 20’s and 30’s.
“”Ceramics are organic””, said Nakashima. “”Organic”” is the word at the root of his creative activity ever since his 20’s.
Nakashima’s art are displayed in museums in Japan and overseas, like the U.S earning him worldwide attention. Yet, he is also involved in nurturing new talent. He is currently a professor at Aichi University of Education, and an instructor at Tajimi City Pottery Design And Technical Center.
