Masaru Nishikawa: The breath of animals
動物の呼吸
25 SEPTEMBER – 2 NOVEMBER 2025
Opening Event: 6pm Thursday 25 September 2025
Based in Kyoto, Masaru Nishikawa is one of Japan’s most renowned and exhibited ceramicists. Known for his imaginative animal forms, Nishikawa uses colour and hand-building techniques to create expressive and often humorous works.
In his first solo exhibition in Australia, Nishikawa presents new works created during his 2025 artist residency at Canberra Potters, alongside recent works created in Japan. The exhibition introduces Australian audiences to the poetic and playful works for which Nishikawa is recognised and widely collected in Japan.
Nishikawa says of the exhibition:
“I have been making works inspired by real and imagined animals for close to 40 years. For me animals are endlessly interesting and fun. When we observe animals closely and realistically, they are sometimes raw, sometimes grotesque, and sometimes frightening. I deliberately place myself at a distance, and try to depict animal forms playfully, in ways that bring out their humour. I hope that I’ve created this kind of atmosphere with the works in this exhibition.”
動物をイメージした作品を40年近く制作しています。
動物は、私にとってとても興味深く、楽しいものです。
動物を写実的にじっと観察していると、時々生なましく、グロテスクで、怖く感じる事があります。
私は、意図的にあえて動物と距離を置き、楽しくユーモアを感じられるように作りたいと心がけています。
そんな空気感のある動物作品が出来ればと願っています。
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Masaru Nishikawa (b. 1962 ) received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) from Musashino Art University, Tokyo in 1987. He has been an adjunct lecturer at Osaka Fine Arts University in the Ceramics program since 2009. He is a multiple-time recipient of some of Japan’s most distinguished prizes for ceramics; most recently he received the Grand Prize at the NITTEN Exhibition (National Fine Art Exhibition) in 2025. Nishikawa’s work has been exhibited extensively in Japan and internationally and is a part of the permanent collections of the Kyoto Prefectural Institute, Library and Archives; Incheon World Ceramic Center, Korea; Maibara City, Japan; Welfare Center (Cen-Terrace), Osaka University, Japan; Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto; and the Shanghai Art Collection Museum.
Masaru Nishikawa was the Canberra Potters International Artist in Residence from 5 August – 2 November 2025.
In the news: “Japanese ceramicist’s passion for real and imagined animals”
