Surprising textures and glazes
- Akiko combines Japanese techniques with contemporary design
- Her work is displayed in museums worldwide
- In 2019, she was shortlisted for the Loewe Craft Prize
After graduating in Cognitive Psychology at the Aichi Gakuin University, Akiko Hirai worked in advertising but very quickly she discovered it wasn’t for her. "I didn’t like the company, the job or my colleagues," she says. Looking for a change in her life, at the beginning of the millennium, Akiko Hirai left Japan for London. Here she perfected her English and she enrolled as an adult learner in a pottery course. Now, 20 years later, she is one of the United Kingdom's leading potters. Combining traditional Japanese methods and contemporary design, she works with rough dark clay using different building techniques. Multiple layers of glazes and slips in lighter tones are then applied to pieces that are deeply textured and wonderfully complex.
Interview
Is the past important to you?
I love antique ceramics and especially the pieces that were made when modern technology was not available because it carries the weight and the history of human touch and perception. The wide range of knowledge about ceramic materials and the actual use of it, is without any doubt, my strength.
What surprises you most about your craft?
The physicality. One thing that people normally don’t associate with ceramics is how fit you need to be in order to work well. I work 7 days a week, for a minimum of 10 hours a day and I have to handle at least 3 tons of clay by myself. It is a proper, serious workout.
What is your source of energy?
At one of my first craft fairs, someone asked me “if he could buy this beautiful object”. Nothing was more encouraging than those words. It is very hard to make a living from your craft, especially at the beginning of your career and those words still give me the energy to carry on with my work.
What advice would you give a budding ceramicist?
Always work with a beginner’s mind. For more than 10 years I’ve been a teacher at the Kensington and Chelsea College, and the best suggestion I could give to my students was not to be misled by trends. Because trends come and go.
Akiko Hirai is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2003
Works
- Address: Unit G3-F3 the Chocolate Factory, Farleigh Place, N16 7SX, London, United Kingdom
- Hours: By appointment only
- Phone: +44 (0)7950298128
- Languages: English, Japanese
Akiko Hirai
- Address: Unit G3-F3 the Chocolate Factory, Farleigh Place, N16 7SX, London, United Kingdom
- Hours: By appointment only
- Phone: +44 (0)7950298128
- Languages: English, Japanese
Find Akiko Hirai in the itinerary
London: a day around the Thames through the eyes of a craft expert
10 locationsWhile spending time in London, come and discover the recommendations of independent curator and craft expert Brian Kennedy. This itinerary will guide you through his selection of 10 craftspeople and galleries around the capital.
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