Tomoko Iwata, born in 1977 in Saitama, Japan, graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 2000. In 2006, she completed her training at the Tokoname City Ceramic Art Institute and then set up her own business in Tokoname, Aichi. Since 2007, Tomoko has lived and worked in Gyoda, Saitama.
Tomoko Iwata works according to the Japanese concept of "Utsuwa" (beautiful things for everyday use). Her single flower vase series "Kusano Utsuwa" is made using the Tatara process. Tatara is a process in which clay slabs are formed by bending or joining them together on a board or flat surface. Tomoko Iwata uses tatara-zukuri to make her square, rectangular or trapezoidal vases from flat slabs of clay.
Their sophisticated designs often raise questions and astonish onlookers. Some vases look exactly like stones polished by the sea, others can be tilted in two different positions. And how is it possible for her cube-shaped vases to be glazed on all sides, even though the side that touches the kiln should actually remain unglazed?
