Akiyama Yo is one of the most important contemporary ceramic artists in Japan, and considered a late leading figure of the Sodeisha movement and a pioneer of new ceramics in Japan from the 1970s. His formal introduction to ceramics occurred at Kyoto Art University, where he studied under Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979), an important figure in the Sodeisha movement from whom he learnt the technique of making black ceramics. Following in the tradition of Sodeisha, Akiyama Yo makes non-functional, sculptural forms, which are distinctive for being black and unglazed, focusing instead on form and surface texture. He is interested in the process of creation and decay, explored through his works with their broken and torn forms with rough edges, hollowed out centres, cracks and fissures, lending them a geological quality. He has won numerous prizes and held solo exhibitions in Japan and abroad. His works are held in public collections, including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the MFA Boston, and V&A, London.
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- 1953 Born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
- 1972-78 Studied at Kyoto City University of the Arts
Artwork