ABOUT
When I was a child in Japan I thought I would become a writer. My head was a full of imagination, memories, feelings, thoughts and stories. Once a while, they overtook my daily life. It wasn't always easy for a child to live in the real world and my own world at the same time. Especially as all my imagination, memories etc. just float around in my head, like clouds in the sky. I didn't know what to do with them.
Now I capture the floating thoughts in ceramics. Once they were given shapes, they become grounded. I am writing in ceramics. By doing that, I file the information, which is, otherwise, difficult to classify, in drawers in my brain. I could bring every nuance and detail of my memories, stories, emotion and thoughts, back to life vividly when I see each sculpture.
'Dreams, stories and wishes.
Trees, birds and breeze.
Memories, beauty and time.'
Accidental Artist
When she arrived in England to study social anthropology in 1992, she had no plans to become an artist. However, for nearly two decades now, she has been working as an artist making ceramic sculptures in her studio in Canterbury.
Her work captures her imaginary life and real life, which overlap. She used to pretend to live as a ‘normal’ person in society but wildness broke through the thin veneer and consumed her. Once she started making sculpture, all those layers of pretension fell away. She was finally one whole person.
Midori loves ceramics as most Japanese do. She loves stretching clay with her hands to find what it becomes. Her studio is quiet, but in her head she asks lots of questions to the clay whilst making. She lets the clay lead her as much as possible. The wide range of her work shows her main focus as well as her small discoveries and excitement in daily life. She challenges herself to break the mould every year. She thinks boredom and repetition are the enemy of her creativity.
When she is not working, which is rare, she escapes to the woods or reads books. She is secretive and reclusive. She is seldom seen, but surprisingly friendly if she happens to be in a good mood.
Midori's works are in private collections globally. A few good sized collections are in England.
CPA selected member
Midori Takaki's works are available from
Midori Takaki Online store
and galleries.
Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London
New Ashgate gallery, Farnham
West End House gallery, Kent
Ting, Deal
Hope gallery, West Yorkshire
Bevere Gallery, Worcester
Silver Shell, Tokyo
Galerie Corinne Le Monnier, Le Havre, France
CV
2024
04 Ceramic Art London, London
03 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, with West end House gallery, London
2023
11-12 Christmas Show, Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London
11-12 Winter Show, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool
04 Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead
2022
11-12 Christmas Show, Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London
04 Ceramic Art London, London
2021
11-12 Christmas Show, Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London
11 White Circle Manchester Art Fair, with Hope gallery, Manchester
11 Feature artist of November, Bevere gallery, Worcester
10 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, with West End House gallery, London
05 Online Demonstration for Dacorum and Chiltern Potters Guild
04 Fresh Art fair, Cheltenham with West End House gallery, Cheltenham
2020
All events were cancelled due to lockdowns
2019
12 'Gifted', Contemporary ceramics Centre
12 Christmas show, West End House gallery, Kent
11 'In the Windows' exhibition, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool
10 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, with West End House gallery, London
10 A demonstration, Oxford Ceramics Fair, Oxford
10 Oxford Ceramics Fair, Oxford
03 Ceramic Art London, London
2018
10 A Talk and demonstration, Oxford Ceramic Fair, Oxford
10 Oxford ceramic fair, Oxford
08 Art in Clay, Farham
05 Bevere Gallery - May Focus
05 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong with LANS gallery
04 Design Spring 18 - KIMA Architecture and Interiors
03 Ceramic Art London - March
2017
12 Galerie Corinne le Monnier, Le Havre, France
08 Art In Clay, Hatfield
06 Bevere Gallery - June Focus
04-05 Group show. Galerie Corinne le Monnier, Le Havre, France
04 Ceramic Art London
2016
11 Winter Craft Collection, New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey
11 Christmas exhibition, GalleryTop, Derbyshire
10 Handmade at Kew with Gallerytop, London
10-12 In the Landscape exhibition, Artichoke gallery, East Sussex
09 Cambridge Art Fair with Bils and Rye, Cambridge
07-09 PikaPika, Craft Central gallery, London
06 Window exhibition. Cecilia Colman
05 Solo exhibition, Silver Shell Gallery, Tokyo
04 Ceramic Art London, London
2015
09 Exhibition, Biscuit factory, Newcastle
04 Ceramic Art London, London
03 WHITE BALANCE, with Alan Emsden, Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, Sunbury (Duo)
2014
11 Windsor Contemporary Art Fair
10 Etsy Art OPEN exhibition, London
06 Landmark Arts Centre Midsummer Art Fair
01-02 Emerging artist space, Mascalls gallery
2013
Clouds Calm - Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury (Solo)
Clouds Storm - Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury (Solo)
Prism MA show - Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury (Group)
Featured articles/Interviews
Potters on Pots: Midori Takaki: Ceramic Review 313, January/February 2022
Ceramic Art London, Architectural Digest online, Russia, 2018
Of spirits and stories: Ceramic Review 290, March/April 2018
Ceramic Art London fair: world's best potters showcase their designs at Central Saint Martins art and design school, Evening standard (30, March 2017)
Artist Interview: Midori Takaki (June 2015: Ghost)
Midori Takaki’s Ceramics. (Art is a way by Elsa Mora)
No Hair allowed (April 2015: Old Tat Magazine)
Midori Takaki - My Owl Barn Blog
Angels *Midori Takaki* Canterbury Christ Church Gallery Until 21st December 2013 blog 2013
Clouds in the sky blog (November 2013)
Midori Takaki - Ceramics artisan Japan Store ( November 2013)
Mouseblossom blog
Blue Eggs and Tea blog
Education
2013 Postgraduate certificate - Ceramics in Fine and Applied Art, Christ Church Canterbury University, UK
1994 MA - Social Anthropology, University of Kent, UK
1986 BA - Sociology, Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo