Japanese potter, Sakiyami Takayuki lives near the sea on the Izu Peninsula where he creates his rippling stoneware sculptures that look as if they were shaped by the sea’s restless tides. This is evident from the series Chōto – Listen to the Waves (2018-2020) where each sculptural vessel is finely shaped and finished with his signature sand glaze in swirling textures that remind him of the sea as his ultimate source of inspiration. His highly acclaimed works are popular with discerning collectors and are exhibited in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Works from the “Listening to the Waves” series

About the Artist

Sakiyama Takayuki (b. 1958) was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, where he studied ceramics as a young adult. He graduated from Osaka Art College, having worked with avant-garde ceramists, Hayashi Yasuo and Yamada Hikaru. With mentors who favored form over function, Sakiyama himself was inspired to create functional vessels with a highly sculptural focus. His highly acclaimed works are held by leading museums including the Metropolitan Museum, New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Sano Museum of Art, Japan among others.