Explore the Lush, Nature-Inspired Work and Studio of Ceramicist Hitomi Hosono

When ceramicist Hitomi Hosono quietly works in her studio in the heart of East London’s creative neighborhood, she is taken back to her life in Japan. “I was born in Kani-city, Gifu Prefecture in Japan, located in the middle region of the Japanese main island, Honshu. I grew up surrounded by rice fields, grown by my family and neighbors. I remember, during the hot summer nights, tens of thousands of frogs singing; voices from the rice paddies filling the air. Once the rice is fully grown, it covers the landscape, making everything look a fresh green. I loved the sound of rustling rice leaves traveling through the paddy fields. I now live in London, but when I am working quietly in my studio focusing on something, I hear these sounds as if I am still in Japan.” Her memories of Japan and, specifically, its nature remain an essential source for her ceramic creations. “When handling the porcelain clay itself, my old memories of nature in Japan come flooding back through my hands—abstract and uncertain when it was in my mind. Kneading, brushing, patting, carving, there are many processes before the shape emerges from the porcelain clay and begins to take the form of my tactile memory.”

Hosono’s first interaction with ceramics came through her family. She reminisces about her grandfather, a tiling artist who decorated the family home: “It felt like we were living in his work of art. My grandfather and his work have been an enormous inspiration.” Hosono studied the art of ceramics in Japan before moving to London to study at the Royal College of Art. Carrying on the training received in Japan, elements of British life—from local greenery to pottery techniques typical of British manufacturer Wedgwood’s Jasperware—have become important artistic influences on her work.

See how Hitomi Hosono works on Large Hawthorn Tower, presented by Adrian Sassoon on TEFAF Online, as she shares her story, process, and inspirations in the latest video from TEFAF’s Meet the Artists series.