takuro kuwata

CERAMICS

photography by CHIKASHI SUZUKI
text by JEFF RIAN
all artwork by TAKURO KUWATA
all clothes by NOIR KEI NINOMIYA

from traditional craft to contemporary art: the bright, orgasmic, provocative sculptures of japanese artist takuro kuwata are captured here with the dark romance of noir kei ninomiya’s new collection.

Takuro Kuwata is a resident of Toki City, in the mountainous Gifu Prefecture, which is rich in clay, making it one of the largest areas for the production of ceramics in Japan. Having studied ceramics, he mastered traditional crafts, beginning in product design, one example being his signature cups with bands of three colors. He wanted to create contemporary objects and to use colors that reflected contemporary life, so he radicalized teacup design, moving from simple abstraction into asymmetrical forms more like molded clay than perfectly spun cups. Some appeared to be drenched in silver and gold, or in colors that…