Shinichi sawada biography of christopher

Shinichi Sawada was born in 1982 in the Shiga district near Kyoto and began his artistic training at the Nakayoshi Fukushikai Welfare Association, where he has lived since 2000.

Shinichi Sawada: Agents of Clay presents a collection of ...

Rooted in the traditional techniques of wood-burning Shigaraki kilns, Sawada’s spiny, animalistic sculptures are fired for three days and three nights in an oven ranging from 1,200 to 800 °C. The varying temperatures, as well as the placement of the sculpture in the oven, result in the variety of earth tones that characterize Sawada’s work, ranging from red to brown to charcoal black.

The ash settling on the unglazed surface of the piece also contributes to these colors as it fuses with the firing clay.

Sawada’s totemic sculptures often portray multiple faces stacked on top of one another or gazing outwards from different sides of the piece. Horns, teeth, scales, and talons protrude from the creatures at every angle.

Individually applied clay spines form dense rows that Shinichi Sawada, Japanese Outsider Art - Jennifer Lauren Gallery TEP