Kazuya Ishida
Pottery runs in Kazuya Ishida’s blood. For generations, his family have lived and worked in the heart of ‘Bizen ware’ — the city of Bizen located in Okayama prefecture in western Japan and where Ishida was born and raised. Ishida now continues his family’s legacy, bringing ‘Bizen ware’ into the contemporary.
‘Bizen ware’ is a traditional form of pottery that was introduced to the Japanese mainland from Korea during the Kofun period (250 – 538 AD). To this day, it is celebrated as one of Japan’s six renowned pottery styles alongside Shigaraki, Tamba, Echizen, Seto and Tokoname — all of which produce unglazed pottery that is fired at a high-temperature.
Ishida uses two types of kiln: a wood-fire multi-chamber climbing kiln called a ‘noborigama’ and a single-chamber climbing kiln called a ‘anagama’. Before carving his own career as an independent potter, Ishida trained with Bizen master Jun Isezaki for four years and later in the UK where he was exposed to different pottery styles. In 2013, he returned to Bizen and established his own pottery studio. Two years later, the University of Oxford invited him to participate in the Anagama project for whom he has subsequently led a number of resident potter classes.
Ishida’s pieces are characterised by distinctive spiral markings called ‘Rahou’ — which he says are inspired by his adolescent passion for breakdance. Through his work, Ishida pushes the boundaries of Bizen-ware’s traditional materials: natural clay and ash glazes. Working within the limits of his traditional craft, Ishida achieves distinctly contemporary forms that incorporate primordial and organic shapes and textures that speak to the ocean bed, cliff faces, pebbles and seashells. His pottery undeniably captures nature’s rhythms and patterns in a traditional Japanese ceramic form that still manages to be incredibly dynamic and contemporary.
Kazuya Ishida was born into a family of potters in the city of Bizen in Okayama prefecture where “Bizen ware” was developed based on the manufacturing method of Sue pottery with blue-grey pottery introduced from the Korean peninsula during the Kofun period (around 250 to 538 AD).
Among with the six styles Shigaraki, Tamba, Echizen, Seto and Tokoname “Bizen ware” is one of the most outstanding traditional Japanese kilns as for unglazed high temperature-fired pottery.
Ishida uses wood-fired “noborigama”, multiple chambers climbing kiln and “anagama”, single chamber climbing kiln. He trained with Jun Isezaki, a Living National Treasure in Bizen for four years, followed by spending time in the UK learning different styles of pottery before established his own studio in Bizen in 2013. He was invited to the Anagama Project organised by the University of Oxford in 2015, since then leads resident potter classes.
The sculptures and vases Ishida creates have distinctive spiral marks, called “Rahou” which he inspired by the style of breakdance during his teens.
In using limited natural clay and ash glazes in the tradition of Bizen ware he challenges for creating contemporary forms within a range of reflections of the primordial, rippled textures and patterns of ocean beds, tectonic shifts of cliff faces, and pebbles and seashells. Bizen artisans, past and present, have considered different ways of adapting to the qualities of the clay. Ishida is one of the successful artists for exploring rhythms and patterns of nature, not only introducing viewers of Japanese ceramic aesthetics, but also a new unrecognisable challenged artisan with dynamic and skilful artistic forms as in a piece of artwork.
EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE
2023 Canberra Potters Society (ACT, Australia)
2022 Sturt studio (NSW, Australia)
2019 Artist Residency at Star Works (North Carolina, USA )
2018 Organised Ceramic Art Bizen in Shizutani
2018 UAL: Utsuwautsushi symposium
2016 Artist Residency at Leach Pottery
2017 Ceramic Art London
2016–2018 Leading Bizen × Whichford project
2015–2018 Artist Residency at Oxford University
2015 Built Anagama Anagama kiln at Oxford University
2015 Project leader for Oxford Anagama Project
2015 London Hatfield Ceramic Show
2013 Moved back to Bizen in Japan to build own studio
2012 Employed at Whichford Pottery (Cotswold, UK)
2011 Worked at Kigbeare Pottery (Devon, UK)
2007–2010 Studied under Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki
2007 Graduated from Kyoto Pottery Technical Centre
2006 Graduated from Bizen Pottery Centre
1986 Born in Bizen city, Okayama
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Delicate Eye Area (Australia)
2021 Kazuya Ishida Ceramics Exhibition (Ginza Galerie Lã, Tokyo, Japan)
2016 London John Harlequin Gallery (London, UK)
2014 Setouchi Art Museum (Japan)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Sturt Gallery (Australia)
2022 Moulin Gallery (Singapore)
2021 Kyoto Takashimaya
2019 Ginza Ippodo Galley
2018 Galerie Du Don (France)
2018 Oxford ceramics gallery (UK)
2017 Ceramic Art London (UK)
2017 Blue Spiral galley (USA)
2016 The Power of Bizen: Tenmaya Art Gallery (Okayama, Japan)
2015 The Power of Bizen: Daiwa foundation (London, UK)
AWARDS
2020 Award winning for Okayama Award
2019 Award winning for Okayama Award
2019 Award winning for Toshinkai Exhibition
2019 Selected for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2017 Award winning for Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition
2015 Award winning for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2014 Selected for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2014 Selected for Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition
2013 Attended the Estonian International Artist Exchange
2011 Selected for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2010 Selected for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2010 Selected for Issuikai Art Exhibition
2010 Selected for Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition
2010 Award winning for National Cultural Art Exhibition
2010 Selected for Chanoyu-no-Zokei Exhibition
2009 Selected for Japan Traditional Art Craft Exhibition
2009 Selected for Issuikai Art Exhibition
2009 Selected for Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition
LECTURE
2023 The Living Light Art (HK)
2022 Gaya (Bali, Indonesia)
2019 University of California, Los Angeles (USA)
2018 Oxford University, Linacre college (UK)
2018 Oxford University, Merton College (UK)
2018 Clay College (UK)
2017–2018 Camberwell College of Arts, UAL (UK)
2017 Clayspace (USA)
2017 Oxford University, Linacre College (UK)
2017 Goldsmiths College, University of London (UK)
2016–2017 West Herts University (UK)
2015 Kigbeare pottery (UK)
2015 Oxford University, Linacre College (UK)
2015 Ruskin College (UK)