Japanese ceramicist Kansai Noguchi talks about New York, Hong Kong and swapping the city for the suburbs. Japanese ceramicist Kansai Noguchi talks about New York, Hong Kong and swapping the city for the suburbs.

Japanese ceramicist Kansai Noguchi talks about New York, Hong Kong and swapping the city for the suburbs.

From his studio in Tokyo, artist Kansai Noguchi creates ceramics inspired by Japanese Jōmon pottery, Korean Yi Dynasty ceramics and ancient Greek sculpture, with this classical aesthetic enlivened by his pioneering metal glazing techniques. The Fukuokaborn artist recently hosted the inaugural exhibition of his latest collection, EX TERRA, at Otherthings by The Shophouse, a gallery housed in a refurbished 1890s Hakka-style building in Tai Hang.

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Noguchi says he creates ceramics by “cutting out” different periods and cultures and splicing them together, just as he once did with music. There are two sculptural pieces in Noguchi’s latest collection, Apollo and Jomon. Both appear charmingly old and weathered, with the bold monochrome patterns of the latter adding a dash of the modern.

“I’m attracted to things that have been around for a long time, like wall paintings exposed to wind, rain and light. Physically, they only continue to decay, but there is a certain beauty there,” he says.

Kansai Noguchi

Before Noguchi discovered art, he was a vocalist in an R&B band. The ceramicist moved to The Big Apple to kickstart his musical career, but things didn’t work out. “When I went to New York, the birthplace of R&B, and stood on the same stage as some of the genre’s best singers, I felt that I was no match for them. It made me rethink what I needed to do to make my life work.”

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Discovering the work of his namesake, Isamu Noguchi – famous works include his Zen-like Sunken Garden at Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza and minimalist masterpiece Red Cube at 140 Broadway – was a turning point.

“He’s the person who set me on the path of becoming an artist. When I visited the Noguchi Museum in Long Island, I felt like I learnt how to be an artist in the West as someone from the East.”

Kansai Noguchi

Travelling gives Noguchi the opportunity to escape the monotony of the studio. “Most days I follow the same routine, and my thoughts can get stuck. Travel gives me the chance to experience a completely different lifestyle, culture and people.”

The artist loves Hong Kong for its mixing of Chinese tradition with contemporary culture. “Such a fusion of eras reflects my own approach when it comes to creating my work,” he feels. Food was a highlight of his recent Hong Kong visit, especially the prawn dumplings at Fook Yuen restaurant.

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To shore up his artistic ambitions, Noguchi plans to leave the Japanese capital and head southwest into Yamanashi prefecture by the end of the year so he has more studio space and room for a larger kiln.

“I want to create larger pieces of work and become a more internationally renowned ceramic artist,” he says.

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