Clay that challenges and comforts
- Ayumi makes functional pottery featuring kawaii-inspired animal drawings
- She developed a method of throwing without water called dry throwing
- Online engagement and social activism are integral to her work
Ayumi Horie developed her creative business during the early days of the internet. Coding her first website in 2001, she translated her tactile craft into a web-based experience, paving the way for other artists to follow. “I see my online presence as my second studio, a virtual companion to my physical practice,” she says. Ayumi’s pieces are designed for everyday use and include ramen bowls, mugs and platters. Her objects often feature hand scratched sgraffito and mishima drawings of animals in playful, narrative scenes. Drawing on the Japanese concept of kawaii or cuteness, Ayumi invokes the soft power of domestic objects to encourage dialogue and address complex topics. Through this slow activism, she generates support for social equity, the environment and community resilience.
INTERVIEW
The notions of comfort and wonder through play are the most important concepts in my work. My mother, an anesthesiologist, was driven by the importance of comforting others. My graduate school professor, Akio Takamori, made a body of work that explored the tenderness of parenting, which had an enormous impact on me.
Dry throwing is a technique I invented that makes plain the plasticity of clay. The visual stretchiness of a dry thrown pot gives a feeling of raw spontaneity, where I can pinch and squeeze clay like dough. There is also an intrinsic lack of control to the method, so the imperfections that come about feel more organic.
My drawings are inspired by folk tales, early comics and manga. I like the drawings to have enough ambiguity to them so people can take the story they imagine and run with it, becoming a part of the work itself.
Short, intense bursts of activism have peppered my studio practice and live side by side with it. It is the flip side to making art that is of solace to people. I make pieces that I hope will make the world a better place by using anger as fuel.
