Pottery Artist of Promising Prospects, Mr. Tate Wada
Akira Wada is a young ceramic artist born in Chiba Prefecture in 1978. At 33 years old, he is a promising ceramic artist who has won numerous prizes at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition and the East Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. In the ” REVALUE NIPPON PROJECT, ” a project to support traditional crafts conducted by the ” TAKE ACTION FOUNDATION,” which Nakata presides over, he presented collaborative works along with leading Japanese artists.
The characteristics of Mr. Wada’s works are pure white porcelain and skeletal straight lines carved out with a carving blade. Clay made mainly from Amakusa ceramic stone is formed on a potter’s wheel, dried, and then carved into shapes with a knife before firing. The result is ceramics with sharp lines.
This time, Nakata also experienced this carving process at Mr. Wada’s atelier. Mr. Wada had already made a plan specifying the lines to be carved out, so he followed the guidelines and carefully carved them out with a knife.
Ceramic art is a familiar presence that accompanies people
I wonder how long it takes to make one of these ……,” Nakata said. Nakata said, “For this size (palm-sized), about six hours. I do this for about 12 hours a day. Nakata looked at Wada-san with a look of disbelief. Nakada looked at Wada with a look of disbelief on his face. No, I don’t have the energy for it. (Laughs.) But how do you do this all the time? Why did you think it would be fun to do this? I’ve always liked figurative things, and it’s interesting to carve a shape out of nothing. I carve and carve, and when I reach the seventh or eighth station, I feel a sense of elation. ……
Mr. Wada says that he sometimes uses a file for finishing, but he tries to use only a knife as much as possible. This is because he would rather have his work retain the warmth of his “hands” than be too beautiful. I think ceramics is a familiar presence that is close to people. Therefore, if the work is too mechanical, there is nothing that appeals to the heart. The lines may not always be straight, but I need to show the straightness or fullness of the piece as seen by the human eye.
Autumn Taste Series Adds to Viewers’ Pleasure
Currently, Wada is working on a series of fruit-shaped jugs titled the “Taste of Autumn Series. The jugs in the shape of apples, lafrance, and other fruits are all smooth curves, rather than the traditional straight lines. He explained the background behind his decision to create such works. After the earthquake, I think the whole country was depressed, but I thought I would try my best to do something silly. I really like round lines, but I had been sticking to straight lines, so I thought I would take this opportunity to give it a try. It takes a lot of work and is difficult, but I hope that by doing something that pops, it will bring more enjoyment to the viewer.
I think that by exploding the energy I have, I can finally create a work that appeals to people’s hearts a little bit. We can’t take our eyes off his future works.
