小川待子／Ogawa Machiko

小川待子は、現代の陶芸家です。ひびや欠け、釉薬の縮れなど、従来の陶器では否定されてきた要素を、素材そのものが秘める美しさや可能性として昇華していく作風で知られています。

1946年、北海道札幌市に生まれた小川は、東京藝術大学工芸科を卒業すると、留学先のパリで陶芸を学び始めます。元々、幼い頃から鉱物を好んでいた彼女は、同地の鉱物博物館で改めてその造形の美しさに心を奪われ、それを契機として「かたちはすでに在る」という独自の考えを持つようになりました。その後、3年半にわたる西アフリカでの制作活動を経て、同時代の日本の作家とは一線を画す作陶のスタンスを確立させます。

作家の意図や伝統的な型を超え、自然の持つ力によって陶土の魅力を引き出し、思いがけない造形を発見し続ける小川は、人々をものづくりの原点へと回帰させていきます。彼女の作品と向き合うとき、鑑賞者たちは想像力をかきたてられ、名状しがたい根源的な感情を呼び起こされることでしょう。

Machiko Ogawa is a contemporary ceramic artist. She is known for her artistic style, which elevates elements traditionally considered flaws in pottery, such as cracks, chips, and irregular glaze patterns, into the inherent beauty and potential of the materials themselves.

Born in 1946 in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Ogawa graduated from the Department of Crafts, Tokyo University of the Arts. She began studying ceramics during her studies abroad in Paris. Originally drawn to minerals from a young age, she was captivated anew by their molding beauty at a local mineral museum in Paris. This experience led her to develop her unique philosophy that “form already exists”. Following this, she spent three and a half years engaged in creative work in West Africa, establishing a distinct approach to pottery that set her apart from her contemporaries in Japan.

Going beyond the intentions of the artist and traditional molds, Ogawa draws out the allure of clay through the forces of nature, continually discovering unexpected forms. Her artwork guides people back to the origins of creation. When facing her creations, viewers are stirred by their imagination, evoking ineffable primal emotions.