Akiko Hirai – Galerie Hioco

A lively reinterpretation of tradition

A unique journey

Born in Shizuoka, Japan, she first studied cognitive psychology at Aichi Gakuin University before coming to London in the late 1990s. She turned to ceramics after discovering the famous Korean moon jars at the British Museum, which deeply inspired her. She subsequently studied at the University of Westminster (graduating in 2001) and then at the prestigious Central Saint Martins (graduating in 2003).
After graduating, she moved to the Chocolate Factory studio in Hackney, London, where she uses gas kilns for her firings—essential for creating the unique colors and textures of her pieces. From this source, she builds a body of work that embraces the traces of time like vital forces: cracks, ash deposits, irregularities—everything becomes a sign of profound existence.

Texture and Contrast: Materials Revealed

The artist works with dark, dense clay, upon which she applies multiple layers of slip, wood ash, and glazes—sometimes rich in potassium or minerals—creating highly expressive visual and tactile effects. The contrast between the roughness of the clay and the smooth or creamy appearance of the surface creates an ambiguous veil: a beauty that is manifest but never fixed.

Imperfection as Balance

Rather than playing with perfect symmetry, Hirai prefers to break, lightly crushing the rims of the jars: these flaws invite the viewer to “complete the object in their imagination,” echoing the Japanese philosophy that an object does not exist alone, but in relation to its environment and the viewer. Akiko Hirai embraces the notions of wabi sabi (the beauty of impermanence and imperfection) while preferring the Japanese term getemono (literally “second-hand object,” “unrefined”) to defuse negative connotations. She sees her jars as bearing the marks of life—”dirty,” “broken” in appearance, but deeply sincere.

An emotional power contained in the material

Hirai’s jars evoke a geological, almost volcanic landscape—thickened, cracked surfaces, visually striking contrasts. They are full of what some describe as a “surface energy,” halfway between the fragile and the spectacular.