Nagakusa Yohei 永草 陽平

Nagakusa Yohei was born in Aichi prefecture in 1986. He studied Mechanical Engineering and design in University, and worked for several years in that field before turning to ceramics. He graduated from the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility in 2014, and was awarded that same year special prize at the Mino Ceramic Art Exhibition as well as being first accepted into the Nihon Dento Kogeiten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition). He states “Glaze, light, and color are central themes in my work. For this exhibition, I have focused primarily on my ryūsai pieces, which I have been making for the longest time. In ryūsai, several types of fluid glazes are applied separately. During firing, the glazes flow and melt into one another, forming gradients of color. While I control the flow to a certain extent, the final result is entrusted to the firing process, and it is precisely this balance of difficulty and appeal that draws me to the technique. Another element I value deeply is form. I study time-honored shapes and continue to pursue forms that allow both beauty of proportion and the natural movement of glaze to be fully expressed”.