a clay pot by the artist Nara Yoshitomo
What happens when some of Japan’s most celebrated creatives step outside their usual disciplines and into the world of clay? That’s the question at the heart of “The Other Ceramics,” an exhibition currently on view at the BANKO Archive Design Museum in Yokaichi, Mie prefecture.
a pair of tumblers by the artist Taro Okamoto
Held at the Banko Archive Design Museum, the show commemorates the museum’s 10th anniversary with an unconventional premise: ceramics created not by ceramicists, but by artists, designers, and cultural figures better known for other mediums. From contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara to avant-garde icon Taro Okamoto, photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, and fashion figure NIGO, each participant brings their own perspective to the tactile, centuries-old tradition of pottery.
Rather than striving for technical perfection, the works feel exploratory—sometimes raw, sometimes poetic, often surprising. A vase, a tea bowl, or a sculptural object becomes a canvas for personal expression, revealing how these creators think when freed from the expectations of their usual fields.
What emerges is less about ceramics themselves and more about creative translation: how ideas shift when material, scale, and process change. The exhibition ultimately invites visitors to see pottery not just as craft, but as a medium open to reinterpretation by anyone willing to experiment.
The museum is located in Yokkaichi, a city known for its long-standing Banko-yaki ceramic tradition.
a cup by the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto
a pair of cups by the manga artist Yoriko Hoshi
a clay sculpture by the folk artist Samirō Yunoki
a plate by the fashion and textile designer Akira Minagawa
a cup by the fashion icon NIGO
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