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A monumental sculpture by Mukai Naoko, titled Tsuchi no Kawa I (“Skin of the Earth I”). Rising in a twisting, vertical mass, the work resembles an organic geological formation—part weathered rock, part living organism—or perhaps some inhabited, geological growth rising shimmering from the darkness on the cave floor, its undulating body swelling and folding as it ascends. Across the entire surface Mukai has meticulously punctured thousands of small circular impressions, creating a dense skin-like texture that evokes pores, seeds, or mineral cavities embedded within the clay. The warm earthen coloration and rhythmic patterning give the impression of something slowly formed through natural processes, as though the sculpture were an exposed fragment of the earth itself. Cavities and openings appear throughout the form, inviting the viewer’s gaze to move through the interior spaces while emphasizing the work’s dynamic balance between solidity and void. At once monumental and intimate in its surface detail, the sculpture transforms clay into a tactile landscape of growth and erosion. The work measures approximately 53 cm x 55 x 103 cm (21 x 22 x 40-1/2 inches), and was acquired directly from the artist.
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Mukai Naoko was born in Tokyo in 1999, and graduated from Musashino Art University in 2023 with a degree in Crafts and Industrial Design, specializing in ceramics, and completed the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in 2025. Representing a new generation of ceramic artists, her work has already been presented internationally and domestically, including Talking Flowers at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (2022), ishoken: A New Wind at Nihombashi Takashimaya (Tokyo, 2024), and Alluring Forms at Gallery Voice (Tajimi, 2025). In 2025, she was selected for the 6th Kanazawa World Crafts Triennale at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, marking her emergence onto a broader contemporary craft stage.
