Ceramics as “entertainment” that attracts people

Naoko OkuThe aim is to create ceramics as entertainment.

Oku is trying to bring out the story of the work by choosing an approach that brings out its entertainment value, as ceramics have developed from the perspective of ``beauty for use''.
What she focuses on is the ``hollowness'' that is inherent in ceramics. I am fascinated by the characteristic of ceramics: ``It's a solid object, yet it's hollow.''
I am searching for expression through the use of this space, but why does this hollow space lead to entertainment?
The nature of ceramics cannot exist without its hollowness (the state of hollowness or emptiness). This characteristic is also the motivation for making things with ceramics.

All of her works have this "cavity", and the inside of the unique form that imitates living things is decorated with brightly colored glazes.
The space between external and internal expression provides space for us to feel different stories and emotions.
Why is this "ma" important to express entertaining ceramics? This is because exhibits as tools and objects end up existing as mere "things," making it difficult to find a story or worldview.
If things are just displayed in a white cube, you won't be able to find out what they want to convey.
By showing the holes and cavities inherent in objects, ceramics can be seen as entertainment that moves people's hearts.
That is the highlight of Oku's work.

The world is dominated by dichotomous concepts such as good and bad, inside and outside, but the concept of ``hollow'' has the potential to transcend these. In the West, good and evil are clearly defined, but in the East, beauty has been found in ambiguity and imperfection.
Therefore, even in architecture, the divisions of space are ambiguous and boundaries are not clear. Even in the traditional performing art of Noh, by expressing intentional silence between the beats of the drum, you can feel the changes and connections between the sounds.
Highlighting the beauty of "between" and making people feel something. This is how the oriental values ​​of beauty were developed.

In this way, the ``cavity'' inherent in ceramics functions exactly as this ``space'' and has the power to spin a story out of ambiguity.
Naoko OkuHer goal is to continue to explore the future of crafts, and to present ceramics as entertainment that brings laughter and tears, and that is why her work resonates with so many people.

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