Yukika Shibata

About the Artist

The World of Overglaze Enamel Reproducing the Breath of Life

Ceramic artist Yukika Shibata depicts plants and animals with a delicate touch based on sketches using overglaze enamel. Using the traditional five colors of Kutani at the base, she also uses the intermediate and neutral colors that her master, ceramic artist Yoshiaki Yamada uses, and portrays the soft colors in nature on her ceramics.
Shibata says, "I try to harmonize the colors, form and white space when producing my ceramics", and handles the whole process from forming the base to painting by herself.
Keeping a distance from the typical gorgeous Kutani ware, she creates high quality artwork with her fragile yet warm original world of realism.

Style

Kutani ware is usually made by dividing the work between the artisan who specializes in painting and the artisan who specializes in forming the base. By doing so, ceramics with a high quality finish are made. However, I do the whole process from forming to painting by myself. It takes time, but I think this brings harmony to the work as a whole.
On creating my artwork, I try to harmonize the color, form and white space. I mainly form the vessel by "slab building", which is combining slabs of clay cut beforehand using pattern papers.Combining flat, stretched out clay usually makes the form look straight with a stiff impression, but as I mentioned before, as I want to harmonize the work as a whole, I prepare the pattern papers to create a curved form.
In the same way, as the colors need to be in harmony with the form, I avoid using strong colors and try to use colors that bring out the best in the motif plants. The white space also needs to be in harmony. These 3 factors are all important, but among them, I think the white space is the most important as it adds depth to the whole design and makes the drawing stand out.

Biography

• 2015
  Selected for the Kikuchi Bienalle
• 2017
  Selected for the 64th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2018
  Selected for the 65th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2019
  Selected for the 66th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Selected for the Kikuchi Bienalle
• 2022
  Selected for the 69th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2023
  Selected for the 70th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2024
  Selected for the 71st Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition

Awards

• 2011
  Received the T-shi Award at the Women's Association of Ceramic Art Exhibition
• 2013
  Received the Incentive Award at the Traditional Kutani Ware Art Crafts Exhibition, artwork purchased by the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
• 2014
  Received the Excellence Award at the Traditional Kutani Ware Art Crafts Exhibition
• 2016
  Received the Excellence Award at the Traditional Kutani Ware Art Crafts Exhibition
• 2021
  Received the Incentive Award at the Traditional Kutani Ware Art Crafts Exhibition
• 2025
  Received the Excellence Award at the Traditional Kutani Ware Art Crafts Exhibition

Public Collections

• Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
• Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Ware Technical Training Center
• Midorigaoka Art Museum