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Title
Kokeshi-no-kai
Artist
Saya Moriyasu
Year
2026
Medium
Porcelain, clay, glaze, underglaze, aluminum, epoxy and UV paints, brass and metal armature
Dimensions
Description of Artwork
The concept started with “far afield.” I am thinking about travel and new experiences awaiting travel. The 6 pillars have 3 sets of bollards. The piece starts with the two yellow cintamani* shapes on the bollards at 1 & 6 (counting from either the left or the right). They can also be seen as a seed or lotus bud. That seed grows into the plant forms that I saw at Mount Koya, 2 & 5 bollards. The center bollards, 4 & 5, have the kokeshi* doll people.
*A Japanese lathe-turned, wooden doll with a spherical head having brush-applied inks on a limbless, cylindrical body; historically, the cylindrical body had painted-on floral design in red and black and no details—body parts.
Saya Moriyasu
Their hair is covered with bits of their travels in the form of plants and insects. Ginkgo leaves, chrysanthemum flowers, butterflies, and nemophila flowers and leaves. The shape of the ginkgo and green nimophila leaves is reflected in the shape of the aluminum covering the bollard. The kokeshi are in simple yukata or summer kimonos.
Kokeshi-no-kai refers to the children in Hiroshima who raised money for the Children’s Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Peace Park. This celebrates the communities that come together to make positive contributions to society.
About the Artist
Saya Moriyasu has exhibited at venues including the Deitch Art Parade (New York), Aqua Art Miami (Florida), Montserrat College of Art (Massachusetts), Henry Art Gallery Gift Shop Project, Bellevue Arts Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and Wing Luke Museum for the Asian American Experience (Washington state unless noted). After graduating with a BFA from the University of Washington, Moriyasu was awarded residencies at Skowhegan, Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School and more. An alumnus of SOIL Artist-Run Gallery and represented by J. Rinehart Gallery in Seattle, Washington. Inspirations include Americana, Japanese art, consumerism, humor, the decorative arts, class, history, Shintoism, and a love of beauty. Her work often consisted of many small pieces that make up a larger piece, in porcelain, clay, wood, prints, and other materials.
