My pottery generates meditative, peaceful and relaxed moments.
Wobbling the edge, shifting the centre while throwing on the wheel, giving scratches with a piece of wood, splashing glazes in different colours, and finally putting it in the fire of high temperature, those are the initiations that those objects would have to accept, as if they are going through their own life adventure. And I, with my hands and eyes, am creating and observing their very voyage.
I hope I can transmit the introspective travel with the others who hold one of those in their hands.”
-Kosi
I try to make simple shapes, which calm people’s emotions down. To concentrate on themselves. I don’t think too much myself, in fact. It should be very useful and kind of beautiful. But not provoking desire. To just be yourself.”
I find inspiration in our traditional tea ceremony in Japan. With my work I want to offer meditative moments when people share tea and time, feeling the shape of pottery, the texture of the clay and color of it. In my pottery I also feel very inspired by Buddhism which created the esthetic wabi sabi.
-Creators Chamber
Biography
Kosi Hidama was born in Okayama, Japan. He came over to Belgium in 1993 to work as a dancer. His carrier in dance and performance with Belgian and European artists brought him to the essence of Occidental aesthetics. Meanwhile living as a foreigner in Europe Hidama discovered the profound value of Japanese culture that could still offer various possibility of beauty and philosophy. After the catastrophic earthquake followed by a tremendous tsunami and nuclear accident in Fukushima, Hidama met potters who had to evacuate for their life. This experience gave him sorrowful feelings to not only artisans in Fukushima but all the traditional skillful works that are disappearing internationally. In the same time Hidama was fascinated by the possibility of pottery as an art format. He decided to start creating pottery work by himself to see what Japanese culture in him could offer in Europe. Soon after he started studying pottery at Academie Beeldende Kunsten Anderlecht in Brussels. Axel Vervoordt became interested in Hidama’s work. And in the end of 2013 Vervoordt asked him to produce pottery together. Now Hidama is working for both Axel Vervoordt company’s production and his own creation.