MAKERS | ASIA PACIFIC | JAPAN | CERAMICS

Kaori Tatebayashi | Ceramicist

Kaori Tatebayashi, photographed in front of Iris, 2021. Image by Sophie Davidson. Courtesy of Tristan Hoare Gallery.

Kaori Tatebayashi is a Japanese ceramicist based in London. Known for her hand-formed white stoneware, she creates precise, delicate sculptures of flowers and plants, capturing nature’s fleeting beauty. Drawing from her studies in Kyoto and London, Kaori's work explores the paradox of clay’s fragility and permanence, preserving moments in time through her art.

How did you begin?   

You could say that I am a child of art, having been born in a small Japanese village called Arita, in Kyūshū, where everything revolves around porcelain. The technique has a centuries-old history: invented and passed on by the Koreans, it found its way to develop in this specific area due to the discovery of the Izumiyama porcelain quarry. From a young age, I felt a kind of generational responsibility, because my family has always worked in this field. When I was very young, I tried to turn in a different direction and go into design, but in truth it didn't take me long to realize that I preferred manual activities and surrender to my roots.

How did you learn?

The Japanese system dictates that, whatever discipline one engages in, one starts from scratch. This meant in my case becoming familiar with all stages of the creative process, including the potter's wheel and glazes, which I later chose not to use. My university was greatly influenced by Kazuo Yagi, a visionary artist who had freed ceramics from the obligation of functionality, elevating a material previously relegated to everyday objects to sculpture. For the Japanese public it had been a revolution, and I was fortunate to be educated in the wake of this new philosophy. Also in my college days, I experienced a personal revelation through an unusual exhibition on English ceramics. On display were figurative objects depicting animals and people, brushed with delicate colors (and not the typical Japanese glaze, shiny and dense). It was this fortuitous cultural encounter that prompted me to move to London, to delve into this very different pottery.

How do you plan, prepare and create?

 I think I have a great advantage from my good command of the technique. I do not cast but I use the hand-building technique, and for details I use a metal point, a knife or my fingers. The size of my works is conditioned by that of my kiln, while the subjects by seasonality, because I prefer to copy flowers from life. In the beginning I used to spend a long time sketching the subject before launching into the sculptural phase, but now I tend to skip the step and gladly handle the clay en plain air. I force myself to make one section of the sculpture a day, and this is one of the delicate aspects of my work, because the clay as time passes must always be kept moist, to avoid cracking, but not so much that it sags. Another big technical problem is shipping: the sculptures are so fragile! And I have to follow them to reassemble the pieces once they reach their destination. Lately I've also started hanging the works on the walls – it’s a new thing.

Who or what most influences your work?

I have many elements that complete the artwork – not least the wooden boxes that hold the sculpture pieces and that I commission directly in Japan. And sometimes I superimpose my pieces on plates, trays or other metal elements I find in markets or at antique dealers. What interests me is the concept of frozen time: flowers that will never stop blooming, their beauty immobilized. That of ghosts is a typical theme among my compatriots: the ghost intended as something that belongs to the past but does not age. Then, as an avid gardener that I am, I noticed that I am also very interested in weeds, or let's say their beauty not inferior to “more legitimate” flowers. One of the most famous masterpieces of Japanese art is the Irises Screen: no matter how many times I have seen it, its beauty continues to move me...so really flowers are the most important element of my aesthetic.

Kaori Tatebayashi, Iris 2021. Image by Alzbeta Jaresova. Courtesy of Tristan Hoare Gallery.

What does a typical day look like?

I cycle to my studio; I arrive at ten o'clock in the morning and love to take advantage of natural light to work. The studio is very close to the Thames, and every now and then I pause to watch the tide. Even my gardening activities must in a way follow the rhythms of my creative process, because I have to plant well in advance whatever flowers I will be interested in portraying months later.

One more thing... An Artist you’d collect if you could?

Ewen Henderson and Gordon Baldwin.

Interview by Sara Pierdonà
Images from Kaori Tatebayashi, Sophie Davidson, Alzbeta Jaresova, Damian Griffiths, Tom Carter © Tristan Hoare Gallery