photo: SAIKI Taku

Boar

ArtistNOGUCHI Harumi
Year2012
Material/ Techniqueceramic
Size/ DurationH18.7 × W37 × D15cm
Copyright Notice© NOGUCHI Harumi
Year of acquisition/ donation2012(寄付採納年月日:2012/11/07)
DescriptionBorn in Tokyo, Japan in 1948. Lives and works in Saitama.

In 1973, Noguchi Harumi began working in illustration. Resolving to become a ceramic artist, however, she in 1994 established a kiln in Higashimatsuyama and began creating ceramic dolls. Her dolls are inspired by myths of oni (demons and devils) and araburu kamigami (malignant gods). Despite their mysterious air, however, they have a healthy charm and friendly demeanor like something appearing in a fairytale. In size, even the largest are no taller than 40-50cm, and they are created using blackish clay rich in iron oxide, which she covers with a thin white slip and fires at high temperature. The figures are of a size to fit nicely in Nogichi’s hand, and truly, she views them as evidence of her own being alive. For her, to create is to live; the one is inseparable from the other.

"Wind", "Boar", and "Yamata no Orochi" are reoccurring themes among the mythical dolls Noguchi creates. They are nature gods representing the awesome powers of nature, such as the land, wind, air, and movement of celestial bodies, who appear to us in a personified form. Noguchi’s dolls are born as elements of an unfolding mythical narrative, animistic in composition. Their clear, cheerful expressions are a distinctive feature of Noguchi’s work, which is never depressing or sad. The grayish white clay, which imparts a relaxed, monotone air to the dolls, also has a role in producing their personalities. The dolls are often exhibited individually, but when several are displayed in a group, they impart movement to a space and evoke a narrative world.

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