Yukari Hotta — IKIMONO
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
IKIMONO by Copenhagen based artist Yukari Hotta presents a gathering of sculptural objects created from clay and stoneware. Each individual character has been formed by hand in a constantly evolving push and pull between Hotta’s direction and the clays own natural behaviours. Created without the use of glaze, unique tones and textures are produced through a mixture of hand-textured imprints, sanding and the clays own natural qualities – mixed with variations in kiln temperatures when fired. Hotta channels influences from natural objects she collects from the forests and coastline, alongside contours of the human body. This results in objects which are free to form personal relationships with the viewer, uniting the individuals own emotions and experiences with Hotta’s creations.
Material and dimensions:
IKIMONO_001_IW_23.
Stoneware.
65 x 31 x 42 cm
IKIMONO_002_SW_23.
Stoneware.
56 x 23 x 53 cm
IKIMONO_003_BB_23.
Stoneware.
47 x 40 x 33 cm
IKIMONO_004_OP_23.
Stoneware.
51 x 37 x 16 cm
IKIMONO_005_SW_23.
Stoneware.
25 x 55 x 25 cm
IKIMONO_006_DG_23.
Stoneware.
37 x 30 x 19 cm
IKIMONO_007_OP_23.
Stoneware.
47 x 14 x 14 cm
IKIMONO_008_DR_23.
Stoneware.
25 x 28 x 30 cm
IKIMONO_009_YP_23.
Stoneware.
14 x 31 x 12 cm
IKIMONO_010_WD_23.
Stoneware.
15 x 23 x 13 cm
IKIMONO_011_DG_23.
Stoneware.
15 x 14 x 7 cm
IKIMONO_012_SG_23.
Stoneware.
11 x 12 x 9 cm
Year:
2023
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Anders Sune Berg
VIDEOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
After beginning a transformation from designer to ceramic artist some ten years ago, Danish based Japanese artist Yukari Hotta developed her language in her new medium whilst shifting between roles within the design industry and through shared workshop spaces. It was the purchase of her own kiln and larger studio space three years ago that has allowed Hotta to form such a deep connection with both material and the processes of forming and firing clay – in particular stoneware. Her process in creating each form alters in small but significant ways – more sanding on one piece is coupled with firing at high temperatures, another form is left with the marks of creation and fired at a lower temperature. It has been these small moments, alongside the natural qualities of the un-glazed clay she sources from different parts of the world, that provides each of her characters their own voice. Whilst deliberately ambiguous in form, Hotta views each creation as a living entity, often providing holes within her works in order for them to “breath”.
DESIGNER BIO:
Yukari Hotta
Artist, born 1979.
Working from a small storefront studio in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Nordvest, Yukari Hotta spends her time between the energy of city life and the quiet of the forests and oceans a bike ride away. Trained as a designer, her artistic practice sprouted a decade ago out of a desire to translate tactility and notions of nature into works produced by hand. Natural clays form the base of her practice, each presenting their own unique composition and colour within Hotta’s final forms. Without the use of glaze, her objects gain their unique characteristics when worked by hand – some are left raw, while others are sanded and smoothed, along with the various temperatures at which they are fired. While references to nature and the human body are present within her work, their forms are deliberately open in nature and invite the viewer to create their own narratives. Hotta views each piece as an individual character – often adding holes within her works so they can breath. Together they sit on an industrial shelf within her studio, interacting with one another as friendships grow between her sculptures.
EDUCATION:
2009: Dip, Furniture and Spatial Design, Design School Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2007: BA, Industrial Design, Kolding Design School, Kolding, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2023: Solo Exhibition, Amauri Aguiar / Verso Works, Tribeca, USA.
2023: Group Exhibition, Ark x Lokal, Ark Journal, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Bridge, Bridgehampton, USA.
2022: Solo Exhibition, Shape Shifter, Scooters for Peace Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
2022: Group Exhibition, Wild Flower, OUTPOST Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2022: Group Exhibition, Born Unfinished, Galerie Saoussan, Paris, France.
2022: Group Exhibition, Verso Works, Lambert & Fils, New York, USA.
2022: Group Exhibition, Always and Almost Never Open, OUTPOST Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2022: Charity Group Exhibition, Human Rights Watch, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2021: Solo Exhibition, Utsuwa, OUTPOST Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2021: Solo Exhibition, FORM, Sur Le Chemin, Copenhagen, Denmark.
COMISSIONS:
2023: Atelier Collection, ReForm CPH, 3 Days of Design, Copenhagen Denmark.
WEBSITE:
INSTAGRAM: