25 Jan 2020
Edward Lear's famous poem provided the theme for a delightful sculpture by Japanese ceramic master, Shoko Mafune. She'd smile at the thought his playful rhyme might draw you closer to her artwork – that's what she wants. Shoko uses her clay figures to reach out, as if pottery is her special language to engage with the world.
"I grew up in a home with an artistic ambiance," says Shoko, describing her childhood in postwar Japan. "My mother designed clothes for women." Her early memories also include a father who painted and created sets for television. At thirteen, she discovered clay and began making air-dry figures. It was this style of pottery rather than functional pieces that appealed to her.
Shoko graduated as an industrial chemist; however, with the help of a teacher who recognized her talent, she began to study with two Japanese pottery masters. Under their tutelage, in her early twenties, Shoko learned the technical aspects of her art form – firing, glazing… even how to buy and sell materials.
But what delighted Shoko, even from an early age, was creating pieces and watching them be given as gifts. Not one for parties and socializing, this seemed a satisfying way to express herself.
Some years later, she moved to the Philippines with her husband, a change which was to have a major impact on her art. She found the culture more expressive than in Japan and felt encouraged to convey deeper aspects of her inner life through her ceramic figures. The feminine form provided an effective way to do this – sculptures of women's bodies began to appear in her exhibitions.
"With these sculptures I could express my inner-self." she says.
Her favourite piece, a woman's head and upper chest, is displayed at her home studio. The figure's windswept hair conveys a sense of freedom. "I want her eyes and mouth open," says Shoko, "… she may have something to say." Shoko could be talking about herself.
Shoko migrated to Australian to be with her daughter who was studying at a tertiary institution; that was ten years ago. Australian attitudes to her art initially surprised her. Her sculptures of women's bodies were met with reserve, even though the female body has had a revered place in European art. She also felt relegated to the craft, rather than art, community.
Shoko believes that, "Japanese pottery holds a different place than it does in Australia. Japanese pottery has a long history and is used in everyday living," says Shoko. She explains that household plates are changed each season in Japan. And Japanese cuisine is carefully served in ceramic dishes to look artistic, almost like a sculpture.
Although the making of clay figures is where Shoko is best able to express herself creatively, a distinctive feature of Japanese pottery informs her work. "Japanese art has a different dimension, another world to go into. A bowl might be lacquered red outside with the inside coloured black. It may also have a drawing inside," says Shoko.
The importance placed on a deeper, interior dimension is evident in beautiful ceramic box holding a man and a woman created by Shoko. The two lay close together, but when taken out reveal a small love-heart held in-between them.
And as for the Aussie attitude to her chosen art form, pottery? "I don't care anymore that my work is considered a craft. Everyday, I am making clay, I am teaching clay, I am selling clay… that's my life," says Shoko.
Shoko runs pottery classes from her home in Yarraville where she teaches the technical side of working with clay: moulding, glazing and kiln-firing. At a number of Melbourne craft markets, you'll find her work on display to buy. Don't be surprised if you're invited to handle her ceramic pieces – she takes great joy in seeing how people interact with her artwork.
Expect a deeper dimension to be revealed in Shoko's ceramic pottery; an encounter may leave you feeling much like the Owl and the Pussycat as they danced by the light of the moon.
Story and photos: Peter Dewer
Shoko Mafune exhibits and sells ceramic pottery at the following markets:
The Substation Artists' Market – Newport
The Makers' Market – Abbotsford Convent
Maribyrnong Makers Market – Gamon Street, Seddon
Rose Street Market – Fitzroy
Shoko's Studio and Pottery Classes:
70 Hawkhurst Street, Yarraville
telephone: 9314 7153
mobile: 0414 253 511
website: www.shokoceramics.com
