ceramics
Ricca Okano
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello, my name is Ricca Okano. I was born in Tokyo, but I'm currently based in Karuizawa, Nagano. I am an artist and my main work is focused on ceramics. I have also been exhibiting my paintings, installation artwork, and I´ve been working in design. I graduated from a junior college and started working at the age of 20. I discovered ceramics for the first time while traveling and decided to dedicate my life to ceramics. After saving money at the company where I was working when I was 24 I enrolled in the Ceramics Major Course at an industrial high school in Tajimi, locatd in a ceramic production area. That was the start of my life as an artist. At first, I had a culture shock because it was so different from the world I was living in, but I was able to get through the initial learning period of the technique, because I was very excited about working with clay. I then returned to my parent's house in Saitama Prefecture and began making ceramics in a small studio. I presented my work mainly at exhibitions in Tokyo, and at the age of 39, I married metal artist Hiroshi Nomoto and moved to Karuizawa. After the birth of my child, I was ill and during a period when I could not do ceramics, I started painting with vinyl. This was recognized by the Sudo Museum of Art, and I participated in the Art Fair "Art KARLSRUHE 2009". I than had the chance to live in Madrid for a short period with my hustband and continued to exhibiting to different galleries at home and abroad. In 2017 we opened a small gallery near our studio and we are continuing developing our practice.
Where did you grow up? How do you think that these places, people, and traditions are now manifesting in your art?
I was born in downtown Tokyo, which is a mix of residential and factory areas with many narrow alleys. A large river flowed nearby, and several factory chimneys could be seen in the distance. My parents were shoemakers. In the small living room of the house, with an industrial sewing machine and a worktable made of large logs, my mother and grandmother worked all day long. I spent my days observing how a piece of leather was cut, sculpted, and shaped into a shoe. Sometimes I made small shoes for dolls from scraps of leather. I feel that I learned from my family the diligence of making one thing with a sort of sincerity.
Were there any mentors or other practitioners that were early inspirations for you?
Not in the early stages. I was self-taught and have discovered much for myself early on. I first touched clay on a trip when I was 22 years old. At that moment, I tought that I would become a potter in the future. I believe that I taught myself the path I should take. After that, I studied pottery at school in Tajimi. There were teachers there who taught traditional Japanese ceramic techniques, but I didn't do an apprenticeship because I did not want to be influenced by other artists' techniques in the early stages. So I returned to my parent's home in Saitama Prefecture and set up my studio there. Since it was close to Tokyo, I visited galleries and museums in Tokyo and refined my aesthetic sense. After marrying my husband (Hiroshi Nomoto), a metal artist, I was influenced by his favorite artist Cy Twombly. I am very attracted to the abstract lines and colors that emerge from the unconscious.
Take us through the process of developing your projects.
My work is born from an image and the experimentation of bringing it to life. I start with simple drawings and then experiment with several clay molding techniques. Then, an important part is the glazing experimentation. I have made many glaze test pieces since I was a student. A variety of colors and glaze textures are required to express subtle emotions. I use a small kiln, which allows me to experiment and get results quickly. Through repetition, I am able to create pieces that are a little closer to the image I have in mind. Also, discoveries from failures lead to the creation of unexpected new works.
What and who inspires you?
The source of my images comes from the forest. The landscape of the forest around my studio changes dramatically with the seasons. The softness of new shoots in spring, the fullness of life in the summer, the exciting shapes and colors of the mushrooms in fall, and the snowy fields of winter. And then there is the fog that seals the landscape in an instant. I want to create works that project my daily emotions, in the flow and changes of water that circulates from rain to fog, to clouds, to sky and earth.
You’ve mentioned on your website that your work tries to express the real world and the spiritual world. Can you share your thoughts on why these references are so important to you?
These refrences have a significant value because I draw inspiration for my work from both the visible and the invisible and for the 2017 TARO Prize I presented an installation that was an artwork about the days of caring for my parents. At that time, conversations with my father, who was suffering from progressive dementia, felt like art, with daily surprises and discoveries. The days I spent between a bird's eye view of the monster my father could see and the sad feelings I felt as he turned back into a child. By creating the work into a video and ceramic installation, I feel that I was able to give hope to others who are in the same situation as myself. Also, my husband often dreams, and I feel that listening to his dreams and interpreting their meanings will be the driving force behind my new work.
How important has your practice been for your well-being and mental health?
Having the tools to express yourself is very helpful when going through different phases of life. When I was caring for my parents while they were facing death, I created haiku. I was able to create a mellow world that connects the universe and everyday life in a short poem of 17 words in 5-7-5 syllables. When I paint, I am able to face my innocence. I can instantaneously judge the color, density, and speed of painting and bring chaos and order to the flat surface. And when I work with clay, I feel the joy of touching the earth and the process of creating something from nothing is a path to unconditional happiness that has been imprinted in my DNA since ancient times. I am grateful for this job, where the joy of self expression, the same as when I was a child, continues throughout my life.
What is your greatest ambition now, when it comes to your practice?
I aim to hold solo exhibitions in different countries around the world. And I would like to collaborate with people from different countries to hold exhibitions that contribute to the betterment of the status of women. In the course of my work, I have never felt discrimination because I am a woman. I feel that in the art world, one can be active regardless of gender if one is capable. Unfortunately, however, the situation in Japan and other countries around the world is not the same within the art world. I hope that I can make even just a bit, our society, a place where women can develop their abilities to the fullest.
What upcoming projects make you excited right now?
A few projects I´m excited about are the exhibition at a Ennen gallery in Shanghai, the online sales in Canada at Vessels + Sticks. In June, a solo exhibition will be held at CIBONE Tokyo and sales will begin at the Brooklyn store Cibone. In the fall, I will have a solo exhibition in Sydney at the Delicate Eye Area store and online sales in the UK at Two persimmons. I am very happy to be able to show my work to people all over the world.
Where and how can people engage more with your work?
People can reach out via my Instagram @riccaokano. I have new works posted there. Also, please visit my homepage www.riccaokano.com where you can see the upcoming events. Photos by Hozuki Nomoto and Ricca.
