YUKARI HOTTA

Drawing on the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, the rich tradition of Danish minimalist design and a broader world view of accepting transience and imperfection, Yukari Hotta hybridises fine art, craft and sculpture. While abstract her unique handmade ceramics and stoneware evoke natural and biomorphic forms, especially the human body in rest and motion. These qualities are brought forth by the anthropomorphic scale, which mirrors the viewer’s perception and movements in the space, and her process, in which she experiments with the natural colours of different clay types and their firing temperatures. Hotta, who was born in Tokyo, lives and works in Copenhagen where she received her education at The Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation. “I have always been deeply impressed by the aesthetics of Nordic art crafts and the way northern artists and designers are approaching their works.” Abandoning glazing in favour of experimenting with the naked clay, Hotta uses her hands throughout the crafting process with a slow-moving technique by coiling and pinching, rather than wheeling and casting, to carefully accentuate the tactile qualities of her materials. “I wish to challenge the distinction between art and craft, my work is ultimately a kind of tool for exploring our relationship to ourselves, to each other, and to nature.”

For Ark Kollekt 01 she presents a series of seven organic stoneware clay sculptures.

Portrait by Kaspar Kristoffersen