At Lucy Lacoste, Kyoto ceramic artist Aya Murata‘s transcendent ceramic sculptures are gemlike and amazingly intricate. Murata’s Nerikomi technique involves assembling many delicately patterned sections of clay over the course of several firings. Murata offers a complex explanation of the forces that drive her work:
“My work is based on the theme of life force. In the biological world, things with bright and flashy colors are often poisonous, such as mushrooms, frogs, caterpillars, and spiders. But I think that poison is the life force. If I were to compare that poison to humans, I would say that it is jealousy and ambition, which are not generally considered good things. But I think that it is because of these poisonous feelings that humans enjoy life. Without that, I don’t think the energy to want to improve and grow upward is born. I would be happy if you could feel that kind of energy from my work.”
At Lucy Lacoste in Concord, through March 9
Photo: Aya Murata, Garden of Blue, 2023, ceramic with clear glaze
A working sculptor 