Kawai Kazuhito

Biography

Kazuhito Kawai (1985, Kasama, Japan) studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, graduating in Fine Arts in 2007. After returning to Japan, he studied ceramics at the Ibaraki Prefectural College of Ceramics, graduating in 2018 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. He currently lives and works in Ibaraki, Japan.

Kazuhito Kawai identifies himself as part of Japan’s ‘lost generation’, which grew up in a period of economic collapse and has never fully shed this disadvantage; the artist creates ceramic works that are inspired by his identification. With their chaos, irregularity and fragility, his works allude to despair and with their bright, shiny colours, try to mask it. Kawai gives texture to the clay by using tools that are not conventionally used in the production of ceramic works, such as needles, tea strainers and food net lids. To achieve a softer, almost moist appearance, the kiln is set at around 1,200°C, a lower temperature than that used for firing functional tableware. The colours Kazuhito Kawai uses for his ceramic works refer to his youth, bright and vivid colours such as turquoise, purple, yellow and pink. His ceramic works are quite spectacular, the cascades of small amorphous shapes, structured like lava erupting from a volcano allude to twisted yet fragile forms. A final ingredient of his works are the titles, which come from songs, films, novels and are sometimes created by referring to impressions from everyday life. Kawai sees his works as portraits of his emotions that reflect the relationship between ceramics and himself.