HIROKI MIURA • CERAMICIST
SAGA • JAPAN

Hiroki Miura is a Japanese artist and maker, born in Hiroshima in 1991 and now based in Saga, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.

After graduating from Arita Ceramics College, Hiroki honed his skills at a Hasami ware studio before becoming independent in 2020. While working mostly in ceramics, he also produces painting and crafts.

His playful and inventive approach gives rise to work that is colourful, magical and often surreal - like children’s paintings of fantastical creatures made into three dimensional forms.

However the naive nature of Hiroki’s hand built figures belie his exceptional skill and ceramic mastery.

Hiroki’s practice involves deliberate use of primitive methods to achieve a distinctly “primitive” feel. Much of his work is fired using a “wild burning” technique, where the work is baked outdoors for about half a day using rice husks, straw, wood, etc. as fuel. During an open firing, the temperature only rises to about 700° to 800°C, making it extremely fragile and highly absorbent compared to traditional kiln fired ceramics. 

This technique results in work with little shrinkage, where the finished product is closest to the original clay form. Colouring is done by decorating with pigments, minerals, soil, etc. before firing. 

WORK @ DEA

We discovered Hiroki's work on a buying trip to Kyoto, and were immediately drawn to the unique texture and colour of his ceramic works (to say nothing of the wild inventiveness of his figures).

We are thrilled to have his exceptional work sit along side our other amazing Japanese and Australian artists.