Koji Shiraya

"My artistic goal is to shape an expression based on the wonderful phenomenon of nature rather than ceramics solely made by man’s power. As ceramics are created from chemical reactions and material changes by heat, I wish to make work ‘having evolved a piece naturally’ by controlling the characteristics of materials and the action of firing. It is impossible, of course, to control the phenomenon completely. However, I see it as important for me to challenge nature and to pursue the possibilities of artistic control. It is my ambition to explore the beauty that comes from the fusion between man’s creativity and nature’s power."