Yamaguchi Mio
Untitled III, 2020

Material: Hand-built glazed stoneware
Her series “My Inner Self” (2017-2021) features works covered with countless folds, which she describes as expressions of emotions that cannot be conveyed in words. These folds not only protect her heart but also represent the inner world that only she knows.

Mio Yamaguchi, born in 1992 in Aichi, Japan, graduated from the Aichi University of Education Graduate School and has been studying ceramics at the Ishoken Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center since 2020. Yamaguchi’s journey with clay began due to its tactile immediacy, allowing her to connect directly with her medium without the interference of tools. She honed her skills under the guidance of Nakashima Harumi, a renowned instructor known for his commitment to hand-building and his view of ceramics as a form of self-expression.

Yamaguchi’s works have been selected for prestigious exhibitions, including the 3rd Triennale of KOGEI in Kanazawa, the Hagi Grand Prix IV at the Hagi Uragami Museum in Yamaguchi, and the 11th International Ceramics Competition MINO in Japan. Her innovative sculptures, characterized by pleats, tucks, and folds, are finished with subtle glazes that reflect her interaction with the world around her.

“I feel that my fascination with the natural world’s use of repetition and clusters appears in my work as I consume and absorb the world around me. When I mold clay, my consciousness blends and binds with the material and the natural world. I use a repetitive process to convey my thoughts into the texture, such as my struggle of swaying between the desire to live freely and falling under the pressure from societal expectations. These thoughts and emotions are absorbed into the clay,” Yamaguchi explains.