Small mug by Ricca Okano, from the exhibition "Sky & Earth", October 2023 at DEA EAST.

Small, with a perforated blue handle, and in a white, blue and black textured glaze with a glossy blue “pool” inside.

A striking piece that requires considered looking, Ricca Okano's signature style elevates vessels to works of art. Each shifting surface is testament to the artist's touch, a collaboration between determined intent and the fluid nature of clay.

Forms are thrown loosely on the wheel, connected by hand and meticulously worked back into the whole. Dry, glassy and crawling glazes are layered over slip, manifesting abstract landscapes and obscured manuscripts.

While colourful drips and deep, pooling glazes reference the role of the reciprocal, Okana's works function simultaneously as multifaceted paintings in the expanded sculptural field.

This piece is part of the body of work from her exhibition "Sky & Earth" at DEA EAST, October 2023.

dimensions
height: 12cm
width: 13.5cm (incl. handle)
opening: 7cm

Nb. this is a hand made piece and measurements are approximate.

Ceramic.
Hand made in Japan.

Ricca Okano is based in Karuizawa in the mountainous Nagano prefecture of Japan. Her aesthetic is instantly recognisable as one that extends beyond the boundaries of the ceramic object. Embracing a state of multiplicity, her pieces are both sculptural and illustrative, utilitarian and sublime, culminating in vibrant and explosive works that are driven by instinct and the desire to capture her natural environment.

Read more about Ricca Okano.