Kitagawa Kazuki’s work seeks to merge the individuality of handmade craftsmanship with the refined consistency associated with industrial production. Working primarily with porcelain, he creates his own colored clays by mixing pigments directly into the material. These are poured in successive layers into handmade plaster molds, establishing a structured yet highly controlled foundation for each piece.
Once dry, the layered porcelain is meticulously carved by hand, cutting through the strata to reveal intricate patterns formed by color, depth, and line. In the deepest areas, the porcelain becomes paper-thin and translucent, allowing light to pass through the surface. Although the molds provide a repeatable form, each work is ultimately shaped through carving, ensuring that no two pieces are ever the same. Kitagawa currently works with an extensive collection of handmade molds, estimated to be between one hundred and one hundred fifty, though he notes he has never counted them precisely.
In his Kasaneirome series, six colors, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, are layered between white porcelain, resulting in seven distinct strata. The outermost layer is poured first, followed sequentially by each subsequent color after the previous layer has dried, with the final color forming the innermost surface. After molding, each piece is carved while still in its unfired, dry state, with the visible colors determined entirely by the depth of each incision.
The process demands extreme patience and precision, particularly when carving down to a near-transparent layer of white porcelain. Through this labor-intensive method, Kitagawa explores the tension between repetition and individuality, control and chance, creating works that balance sculptural presence with a quiet, luminous delicacy.
He also participated in the exhibition "IBUKI" Digital Catalog
