AKIKO HIRAI PENDULUM
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
AKIKO HIRAI PENDULUM November 2023
16 Dundas Street | Edinburgh | EH3 6HZ | 0131 558 1200 | scottish-gallery.co.uk
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
AKIKO HIRAI PENDULUM
The Scottish Gallery presents Pendulum, a new body of work which marks Akiko Hirai’s fifth exhibition with us. Since we first represented the artist in 2004, Hirai has achieved international recognition for her ceramics and we are honoured to be part of her artistic journey. It was a special moment when one of her iconic Moon Jars, Eclipse Night, was acquired from The Gallery for the Victoria & Albert Museum, London in 2019. Hirai’s work will be displayed in our main gallery this November, so that we can walk freely amongst her magnificent Moon Jars and enjoy her rich, illuminating surfaces. Akiko Hirai originally trained in cognitive psychology at Aichi Gakuin University in Nisshin, Japan. Her motivation to study ceramics came soon after moving to London in 1999, where she discovered Korean Moon Jars in the British Museum. She initially trained at the University of Westminster and then Central St. Martins. From 2004, she became a lecturer and ceramics technician at Kensington and Chelsea College of Arts. Due to the increasing demand for her work, she gave up teaching to concentrate full time on her practice in 2015. Hirai blends Japanese and British studio pottery traditions and her versatility as an artist is displayed in her dynamic range of
functional and sculptural work, in a continually evolving practice. The origins of her practice began with Kohiki ware, which are made from a dark clay with a rough covering of white slip. For Hirai, the connection with the viewer is critical: ‘My pots are not finished when they come out of the kiln: this is just the start of their journey.’ Hirai employs various techniques; from hand building, coiling, throwing on the potter’s wheel and slip casting - there is a distinct absence of mechanical regularity to Hirai’s ceramics and her controlled spontaneity is part of the magic. Multiple layers of glazes and slips in contrasting lighter tones are applied to the raw, dark clay body. Hirai’s use of glazes act as a veil, simultaneously obscuring and revealing the true nature of the material underneath, heightening the variety of chemical reactions that occur when the dark clay is fired in the kiln. Wood ash glazes are responsible for her extraordinary palette; from burnt ochres to black and an array of subtle whites, greens and blues. Akiko Hirai is an artist rooted in humanity and with a deep connection to this earth. We thank the artist for sharing a personal insight into her practice on the following pages. The Scottish Gallery
Akiko Hirai in her London studio, photo: Philip Sinden
AKIKO HIRAI | PENDULUM INTENTIONALITY & SPONTANEITY Everyday Ware Handmade domestic wares are more familiar in Japan than in Western culture. My family use handmade pottery daily. They are ordinary, everyday items in my household. When I started buying my own tableware in my teenage years, I tended to choose Kohiki ware. I was drawn to Kohiki pottery when I started studying and making domestic ware in London over two decades ago.
sister as she was studying photography in London). During my first visit to England, I met a few potters and one suggested I go to university to continue to study pottery more seriously. That is how I started. After graduating from the University of Westminster, my friend and l were looking for a place where we could access a gas kiln. There are very few artist studios in London with kilns, but luckily, the landlord of The Chocolate Factory, Keith Ashley, used to be a potter and had a gas kiln there. I have been happily working there since 2003. My inspiration comes from my everyday experience which is in balance with the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi centres on the acceptance of transience and imperfection, with impermanence considered a holistic perfection of nature and beauty.
The exterior of Akiko Hirai’s studio in London
Background I was born in a town called Shizuoka in Japan. Famous for green tea, tangerines and Yamaha who produce motorcycles and musical instruments. I started making pots at one of the further education colleges as a hobby when I came to England (I came to see my
Akiko Hirai’s studio in London
Kohiki Kohiki ware is a stoneware body decorated with a white slip. There are different types of white ceramics; porcelain, white earthenware, and white stoneware, as the quality of whiteness varies greatly even though all of these are described as white. Moreover, the pieces that are made with the same porcelain sometimes look very different to each other. I saw the differences between the whiteness of the clay and glazes, yet when I had just started studying ceramics, I could not describe the differences accurately, nor did I know what caused these differences. I intuitively chose Kohiki white over porcelain white. Kohiki has always been my favourite ceramic ware even before I started doing ceramics myself. The whiteness is not harsh like porcelain, it is warm and gentle. I like the fact that something else is underneath covered by a white veil.
Akiko Hirai’s workbench in her London studio
Akiko Hirai holding one of her Dry Kohiki Flower Petal Bowls
I began testing and working with various white slip on different clay bodies and recipes; I was hoping to make traditional Kohiki. It might have been easier to achieve the desired outcome if I had studied Kohiki in the place where it is produced or under the person who makes traditional Kohiki ware. I didn’t want to go back to Japan to learn traditional Kohiki in case it stopped my momentum that had started flowing where I was. So, instead I developed my own Kohiki with the materials that I could obtain here in London. The experiments at the University of Westminster were very fulfilling and enjoyable, so even if my attempts were not very successful, I did not see it as a problem. My Kohiki experiments took me to a different place than I had intended. Perhaps it is not easy to imagine that my very decorative Moon Jar was rooted from there, but its principal concept was from the same place. Kokihi’s subtle layering technique developed into the very exaggerated surface I have come to use in my pots over the years.
Back to the Beginning | The Swing The porcelain Moon Jar has nothing to do with Kohiki but my favourite 18th century Moon Jar at the British Museum has the characteristic charm of what I like about Kohiki ware. The Moon Jar in the museum is chipped, has water stains on its white surface from ageing, iron spots from the lack of purification and the mark of the join is very visible, where the two thrown pots have been pieced together. All these marks of imperfection were not intentionally created but these give the pot so much life.
Jar I make absorbs all the information from its surrounding environment; heat, motions and my emotions are all part of the making process. When a Moon Jar goes into the kiln, the making process creates a lot of marks. How it survives in the kiln and releases tension is how it becomes what it is, in the most balanced way. For Pendulum, I began working in the traditional style of porcelain Moon Jars first, then I began making the Kohiki Moon Jar alongside black ware and I finished with my signature Moon Jars which have protrusions. During this period of making, where I went back to a beginner’s mindset, I adjusted the firing temperature, reduction and oxidation cycles and the type of white slip. After making the simpler style of Moon Jars, I produced some small tableware works which I made with a similar adjustment. There, I spot the outcomes from my past experiments, which have now become intentional. I feel that my new Kohiki has become softer and lighter in appearance despite using the harder glaze (less forgiving) with less flux. My experience keeps gathering and developing.
Akiko Hirai in her London studio working on Moon Jars
My own experience and knowledge of material, process, and technique stems from Kohiki, and I now direct myself to a less random place; I like the little element of randomness. I think it is called spontaneity. For me, a pot is like a human and every Moon A Moon Jar in the kiln
Making a Moon Jar Using stoneware, I make the bottom half of the Moon Jar by throwing a pot on the wheel and then I make the top using a coiling technique. I like the feeling of growing the top part of my Moon Jars, so I prefer not to join another pot. The base of my Moon Jars is substantial, so that they can withstand the weight of the top of the form and the layers of texture I will add later. When the rim of the Moon Jar is complete and I am happy with the form I have made, I distress the rim. I do this in the same way as when something is broken, and when the viewer looks at this, it is completed in their imagination, so it is important that the form is initially perfect.
mix of white and blue. Finally, I apply wood ash partly on the glazed surface. I only use one type of glaze but due to the chemical reactions in the reduction firing process, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the kiln, it creates specific colours and textures on the pot. Some of the added materials are organic substances that burn away after the firing, some are metals and minerals that change their properties and react in the high heat and reduction process.
Akiko Hirai’s studio (detail)
A Moon Jar in progress
The surface of the Moon Jar is made by applying a layer of dark slip and three different types of white slips and lastly, fine bits of porcelain are applied on top. I then bisque fire the Moon Jar. I then apply a celadon glaze - a
During the glaze firing I start the reduction around 1742°F (950°c). I operate the burner somewhat unevenly so that part of the kiln gets slightly cooler to make a diverse surface. Sometimes I heavily reduce the kiln to the end of the firing, and sometimes I lightly oxidise the kiln atmosphere at the end, depending on my desired outcome.
Pendulum I cannot remember where I read about intentional accidents, perhaps it was in one of the tea utensil catalogues or a magazine, where an old tea master was writing about teabowls that were originally made for peasant domestic ware. He said that Raku teabowls cannot beat the beauty of antique Korean domestic bowls. This is because intentionality disturbs the beauty of the spontaneity. Spontaneity comes from the balance between object (materials) and its environment, it appears to be imperfect yet if you look at the environmental elements that surround it, it makes perfect sense. It has a holistic beauty.
judgements and actions. It can explain the difference between the process of planning and making mass-produced, factory-made pots and the process of making handmade pots. In this case, the loosely made pots tend to have attractive charms (naturally there are also lots of loosely made pots which can lack charm). This is my recent research interest apart from my everyday pottery practice. To me, pottery is quite like martial art in this respect. It means that my practice is constantly evolving, and this is what keeps me interested and drawn to making pots. Every day, there is something new to learn. Although everything is forever a work in progress, in Pendulum, I am happily introducing my new pieces which have swung in another direction of the pendulum, which is in tandem with my initial swing. Akiko Hirai and excerpts from In Conversation with Akiko Hirai, Loewe Craft Prize Finalist 2019, Cavaliero Finn.
Akiko Hirai in her London studio working on a Moon Jar
Recent research on behavioural science with neurology and psychology in human study, especially science that supports improving physical and cognitive performance, revealed the neurological process involved in our
Akiko Hirai in her London studio
For me, a pot is like a human and every Moon Jar I make absorbs all the information from its surrounding environment; heat, motions and my emotions are all part of the making process. Akiko Hirai
1/ Extra Large Moon Jar I, 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H65 x W52 cm 2/ Small Moon Jar Round, 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H35 x W30 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
Small Moon Jar Round (cat. 2, front and reverse), 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H35 x W30 cm Extra Large Moon Jar I (cat. 1, reverse), 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H65 x W52 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
3/ Medium 1/ Argentina, Moon 2017Jar White, 2023 oil on wooden stoneware, porcelain, panel glaze, wood ash 121 xx 51 H48 W42 cm cm
from left: 4/ Small Moon Jar Blue, 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H33 x W30 cm 5/ Large Moon Jar Blue, 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H50 x W45 cm 6/ Mini Moon Jar Blue, 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H21.5 x W17.5 cm (and facing page)
5 To Every Shore, 2018 oil on wooden panel, 122 x 51 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
1 Once Upon a Time, 2017 oil on wooden panel, 121 x 91 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cmin her London studio, photo: Philip Sinden Akiko Hirai
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
Large Moon Jar Blue (cat. 5, reverse and detail), 2023 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H50 x W45 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
7/ Extra Large Moon Jar ‘Shi Tennoh’ III (front and reverse), 2021 stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash H63 x W52 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
8/ White Large Textured Jar, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze H46 x W42 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
7 Dominion, 2021 oil on linen, 102 x 92 cm
9/ Fossil Plate Shadow, 2023 glazed stoneware, red and white engobe H7.5 x Ø40 cm
10/ Fossil Plate Fog, 2023 glazed stoneware, red and white engobe H6 x Ø44 cm
7 Dominion, 2021 oil on linen, 102 x 92 cm
11/ Fossil Plate Dark Green, 2023 glazed stoneware, red and white engobe H6 x Ø39.5 cm
12/ Fossil Plate Pink, 2023 glazed stoneware, red and white engobe H6 x Ø41 cm
My inspiration comes from my everyday experience which is in balance with the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi centres on the acceptance of transience and imperfection, with impermanence considered a holistic perfection of nature and beauty. Akiko Hirai
from left: 13/ Tall Pointed Poppy Pod, 2023 stoneware, porcelain slip, wood ash H19.5 x W10 cm 14/ Plain Poppy Pod, 2023 stoneware, porcelain slip, wood ash H13 x W9 cm 15/ Faceted Poppy Pod, 2023 stoneware, porcelain slip, wood ash H12.5 x W9 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
16/ Round Fluted Poppy Pod, 2023 stoneware, porcelain slip, wood ash H32 x W28 cm 17/ Indentation Poppy Pod, 2023 stoneware, porcelain slip, wood ash H23 x W17.5 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
18/ Ash Black Teabowl ‘Gesshoku’, 2023 stoneware, black wood ash glaze H8 x W12 cm
19/ ‘Off’ Serving Bowl Black, 2023 stoneware, black wood ash glaze H14 x W26 cm
20/ Black Moon Jar, 2023 stoneware, black wood ash glaze H34 x W33 cm
21/ Kohiki Moon Jar, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze H32 x W28 cm
from left: Ash Black Teabowl ‘Gesshoku’ (cat. 18) Ash Black Sake Bottle (cat. 29) Ash Black Sake Choko I & II (cat. 30)
from left a 22/ Sake Bottle III, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H15 x W10.5 cm 23/ Sake Bottle I, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H15.5 x W11 cm 24/ Sake Bottle II, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H15 x W12 cm
from left a 25/ Sake Choko IV, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H5 x W7 cm 26/ Sake Choko I, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H5 x W7.5 cm 27/ Sake Choko III, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H5.5 x W7 cm 28/ Sake Choko II, 2023 stoneware, porcelain glaze, wood ash H5.5 x W7.5 cm
29/ Ash Black Sake Bottle, 2023 stoneware, black wood ash glaze H14 x W9 cm 30/ Ash Black Sake Choko I & II, 2023 stoneware, black wood ash glaze H5.5 x W5-5.5 cm each
31/ Sake Bottle Antique Hakeme Honey I, 2023 stoneware, black slip, textured honey glaze H13 x W10.5 cm 32/ Sake Choko Hakeme Honey II & I, 2023 stoneware, black slip, textured honey glaze H4-4.5 x W4.5-5 cm each
33/ Sake Bottle Antique Hakeme Honey II, 2023 stoneware, white slip, textured honey glaze H13 x W10 cm
35/ Sake Bottle Plain Hakeme, 2023 stoneware, white slip, shino glaze H15 x W10 cm
34/ Sake Choko Hakeme Honey III & IV, 2023 stoneware, white slip, textured honey glaze H4.5 x W5 cm each
36/ Sake Choko Hakeme IV & III, 2023 stoneware, white slip, shino glaze H4.5-5 x W5 cm each
37/ ‘Off’ Serving Bowl White, 2023 stoneware, white slip, shino glaze H13 x W26 cm
from left: 38/ Plain Porcelain Vase for Chaenomeles Japonica I, 2023 porcelain, transparent glaze H16 x W13 cm 39/ Plain Porcelain Vase for Chaenomeles Japonica II, 2023 porcelain, transparent glaze H16 x W13 cm 40/ Porcelain Moon Jar for Roses III, 2023 porcelain, transparent glaze H26 x W22 cm
Not Fully Awake Autumn has come again. The sun is still hot and strong, yet the atmosphere does not belong to the summer. When the wind blows, it brings only a sign of long nights in winter. It is just a shadow of something. Not something unpleasant, just a feeling of uncertainty, a feeling of swings. If you blow it, it is easily blown away. So you hold and stare at it very gently. The feeling grows in your palms, it is slightly cold at the beginning then it gradually grows warm. Now you can see that ‘something’. It triggers your forgotten memory and unlocks the feeling of subtlety that you ignore in your practical life. It is just like a feeling of shallow sleep or just before waking up from your dream. Not fully awake. I like Autumn. Akiko Hirai
from left: 41/ Dry Kohiki Dobin Teapot Grey (detail), 2023 stoneware, black slip, white engobe, interior transparent glaze, H27 x W16 x D14 cm 42/ Dry Kohiki Dobin Teapot White (detail), 2023 stoneware, black slip, white engobe, interior transparent glaze, H26.5 x W16 x D14 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
19 Untitled Head No 6, 2017 painted steel, 29.5 x 20 x 11 cm
43-47/ Dry Kohiki Serving Bowl, Cereal Bowls and Jugs, 2023 stoneware, black slip, white engobe, interior transparent glaze H8.5-22 x W12.5-29.5 cm
48/ Still Life Cups and Bowls, 2023 stoneware, black slip, kohiki slip, shino glaze H8-10.5 x W9-13.5 cm
49/ Still Life Bottles Grey I (set of 6), 2023 glazed stoneware, white engobe H7-25 x W6 cm
50/ Still Life Bottles Black I (set of 6), 2023 stoneware H17.5-27 x W6-7 cm
51/ Still Life Bottles Beige (set of 6), 2023 stoneware H8-23 x W5-6 cm
24 Untitled 22, 2018 paper-cut collage, 19 x 13 cm
52/ Still Life Bottles Black II (set of 6), 2023 stoneware H10-26 x W5.5-6 cm
25 Untitled 23, 2018 paper-cut collage, 19 x 13 cm
53/ Still Life Bottles Grey II (set of 6), 2023 glazed stoneware, white engobe H13-26 x W5-6 cm
24 Untitled 22, 2018 paper-cut collage, 19 x 13 cm
54/ Still Life Bottles White II (set of 6), 2023 stoneware H15-22 x W5.5 cm
25 Untitled 23, 2018 paper-cut collage, 19 x 13 cm
55/ Still Life Bottles White I (set of 6), 2023 stoneware H15-23 x W6-6.5 cm
26 Masquerade, 2021 paper-cut collage, 24.5 x 21.5 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm
AKIKO HIRAI b.1970
Akiko Hirai originally studied cognitive psychology in Japan before moving to London in 1999 to study ceramics. Her practice centres on the Japanese tradition of allowing the clay to show how it wants to be fired while her work focuses on the interaction between object and viewer, allowing the viewer to interpret the language of the work in their own way. Over the years, Akiko Hirai has received international acclaim for her interpretation of the Moon Jar. In 2013, she was one of just five artists invited to create work for an exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre that explored
the contemporary response to this celebrated object. In 2019 her piece, The Moon Jar “The life of…” was shortlisted for the LOEWE Craft Prize. It was described by the judges as ‘an expressive and energised gestural interpretation of the iconic form of the Moon Jar’ and a work that ‘shows an understanding and respect for the heritage of ceramics further reimagined with a highly personal approach.’ Moon Jars by Akiko Hirai are now in a number of prestigious collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Education
Selected Public Collections
2011
Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Canterbury Christ Church University
2002-03
BA (Hons) Ceramic Design London; London Institute Central Saint Martins School of Graphics and Industrial Design (University Arts London)
Hepworth Wakefield Collection Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, USA Victoria and Albert Museum, London National Museum of Ireland The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Keramikmuseum Westerwald (Westerwald Ceramic Museum), Germany
2000-02
BA (Hons) Ceramics [1st and 2nd year] University of Westminster, Harrow
1989-1993
Bachelor of Letters [equivalent to B. Phil], Aichi Gakuin University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Psychology, Major: Cognitive Psychology, Aichi, Japan
Selected Awards 2019
LOEWE Craft Prize finalist
2014
Sake Ware Competition Selected, Tamba Craft Museum, Japan
2005
Development Award, Craft Potters Charitable Trust
Akiko Hirai in her London studio, photo: Philip Sinden
AKIKO HIRAI PENDULUM Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition: Akiko Hirai Pendulum 2 - 25 November 2023 Exhibition can be viewed online at: scottish-gallery.co.uk/pendulum ISBN: 978-1-912900-75-6 Printed by Pureprint Group Designed and produced by The Scottish Gallery Portrait photography: Philip Sinden Photography: Alex Robson All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyrightholders and of the publishers.
Cover: Extra Large Moon Jar I (cat. 1, reverse), 2023, stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash, H65 x W52 cm Inside front cover: Plain Porcelain Vase for Chaenomeles Japonica I (cat. 38) and II (cat. 39), 2023, porcelain, transparent glaze, H16 x W13 cm; Porcelain Moon Jar for Roses III (cat. 40), 2023 porcelain, transparent glaze, H26 x W22 cm Inside back cover: Extra Large Moon Jar I (cat. 1, detail), 2023, stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wood ash, H65 x W52 cm Back cover: Shallow Kohiki Bowl Chattering Mark I (cat 56), 2023, stoneware, white engobe, shino glaze, H6 x Ø28 cm
THE
SCOTTISH
GALLERY
CONTEMPORARY ART SINCE 1842 16 DUNDAS STREET • EDINBURGH EH3 6HZ +44 (0) 131 558 1200 • mail@scottish-gallery.co.uk • scottish-gallery.co.uk
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 63 121 x 51 cm
1/ Argentina, 2017 oil on wooden panel 121 x 51 cm