• From Myth to History, and then The Future

    From Myth to History, and then The Future

    On a bowl ancient people used to give offerings to the Gods, a beautifully solemn pattern holding humanity's prayer for peace and prosperity is painted.

    The creation of this piece began from a study of the long history of humanity. Before long, the emotions of humanity solidify and bear fruit as a singular story. Then, I finally stand before the wheel, and I take my brush in hand.

    The kindness, courage, weakness and transience of humans become the story, and are expressed upon the rich, colorful piece.

    My work is learning history, and creating art to communicate it into the future.

     

    Yuki Hayama

     

  • Porcelain Stories I Garden of Dreams

    Shoko Aono Ippodo Gallery

    A surface completely covered in flowers; Yuki Hayama's Offering Bowl with Ten Thousand Flowers is like a radiant dream. The form of the offering bowl suggests a sense of openness and vulnerability, one that can be filled with prayer and love. With colors of blue, pink, and yellow overlapping ornately, the bowl is like a garden with countless blooming flowers; one can almost smell the perfume of their petals. Stories tell of our ancestors, offering flowers to the deceased nearly sixty thousand years ago; however, these flowers wilt and change with the seasons, with time their fragrant petals and lush colors fade away. Yuki Hayama creates a flower that never wilts, a garden that remains vibrant forever, a memento that has been dedicated to heaven.

    Yuki Hayama was born in Arita, Japan, in 1961. Arita was where Japan's porcelain industry originated and during the summer, he would play in shallow mountain rivers and find that the riverbeds were filled with sherds. They had been washed by rushing waters for decades, even centuries, rounding their forms while preserving their designs. The sherds had blue designs that stood out clearly.

    From the age of fifteen, he began working on a potter's wheel and practicing his painting technique. He questioned why and for whose sake he drew these designs, and this became the source of his creativity. Although his work may become fragments in the future, alike the sherds washed up in the riverbeds, he wants to continue to create beauty that will shine for eternity. Through illustrating stories and living patterns, he shines a light on lives of the ones he loves. His dedication and enthusiasm allowing him to create transcendental, divine porcelain pieces. Hayama uses only five colored glazes, firing his works twelve rimes and giving birth to seventy-two different tones, producing unique gold lines, and embraces yet challenges the five-thousand-year-old traditions of colored ceramics.

    Hayama says that the past is the reference that can be used to speculate on the future, leading him to study history and the classics avidly. He says that, while the invention of pottery marked the awakening of civilization, patterns are the signal of an awakened consciousness, and he interprets the wisdom and signposts of the patterns, as if reading unknown codes. Hayama, originally aspired to become a writer and this passion is reflected in his designs. He illustrates stories based on the lives of people who appear in myths and legends passed down over thousands of years. He wields a compass, one that guides him into the future and gives birth to his designs. Having practiced designs on paper more than ten thousand times, his hands are masterful, and he is able to draw directly onto the porcelain. His brilliant control of the brush allows him to overlap multiple lines within the space of a single millimeter, applying the cobalt colorant without hesitation. The result is a paean of praise to all living things, representing the counrless rears of humanity and the adoration of mother Earth from which all life springs.

    His second exhibition in New York will feature the aloof, yet courageous 'Goddess of the Moon' and consist mainly of a collection of smaller works, including a rare memorial box and a gorgeous apothecary bottle. Held in the palm of the hand, Hayama's works come to life. The imagery invites us to dance and the image of someone close to us springs into mind and the beauty of the thought overflows. It is through sharing the joy and beauty of Hayama's porcelain stories which allows us to inspire generations to come.

     

  • Goddess of The Blue Moon, C21976

    H3 x W16 1/8 in, H7.6 x W41 cm

    Goddess of The Blue Moon

    C21976

    Based on the view of the cosmos held by ancient people; a myriad of myths passed down in different regions. The "Goddess of the Moon" is another work of art inspired by such ancient myths. It was crafted by combining the Chinese legend of Chang'e Benyue and Artemis from Greek mythology in an endeavor to express the hidden beauty in these myths. The "Goddess of the Moon" is the result of adding modern inspiration to the rich ancient world of imagination.

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, 万花彩祭器　Offering Bowl with Ten Thousand Flowers

    H4 5/8 x W24 ¾ x D5 5/8 in, H11.6 x W63 x D14.2 cm

    Offering Bowl with Ten Thousand Flowers

    C21977

    Since ancient times, flowers have symbolized life. This incense burner with a motif of'Ten Thousand Flowers' depicts lotuses that rise from the mud, but which cannot be tainted by it. A lotus seed buried in the mud in the Jomon period (more than 2,000 years ago) has awoken in modern Japan to produce an incense burner embellished with highly fragrant flowers. Seasonal Japanese flowers are drawn on this incense burner, along with Jomon lotuses, to celebrate life-as beautiful and as strong as it is.

    Enquire
  • Vase: Ten Thousand Flowers, C21978

    H13 1/8 x W15 1/4 in
    H33.3 x W38.7 cm

    Vase: Ten Thousand Flowers

    C21978

    In this work, the unique beauty of Japanese colored porcelain has been elevated to a new perfection of minute design, refining it to pass on to future generations. No matter how valuable a technique may be, it will not survive unless it stimulates people's aesthetic sensibilities and captivates their hearts. Hayama has studied flowers for many years - their colors having been impressed on his mind - and he has recreated them here without confining himself to any particular season. 

    Enquire
  • Vase: Shinrabansho All of Creation, C21979

    H11 6/8 x W13 ¼ in,
    H29.8 x W33.5 cm

    Vase: Shinrabansho All of Creation

    C21979

    The Indus Valley Civilization that sprang up in the northwestern regions of South Asia, existed for almost 1,000 years until the disappearance of the surrounding forests caused its collapse. The heritage of this civilization was carried overseas in the form of the motifs that were used for dyeing chintz fabric, and these flourished when they reached Java.
    The Shinrabansho motif depicts the fecundity of life in the ancient forests, and has been recreated here in this blue and gold design - a celebration of the origins of life.

    Enquire
  • Vase: Fish and Aquatic Plants, C21980

    H14 3/4 x W15 3/8 in
    H37.3 x W39.1 cm

    Vase: Fish and Aquatic Plants

    C21980

    Chinese nobles and literati, who were driven from their homes when the Mongols swept across the Eurasian continent, traveled down the Yangtze River in search of a safe haven, eventually settling in the mild climate of Jiangnan, where they developed new forms of beauty and art. This design of fish and seaweed is a motif that was first developed by the court painters of the Southern Song dynasty; fish represent wealth and seaweed symbolizes a safe home. Applying the motif using zaffer, Hayama elegantly recreates this one-thousand-year-old prayer for peace in the modern age.

    Enquire
  • Porcelain Tiles: Sunlight Shining Through Trees, C21981

    H17 1/8 x W48 5/8 in
    H43.6 x W123.6 cm

    Porcelain Tiles: Sunlight Shining Through Trees

    C21981

    I created this panel inspired by the nature of Scandinavia where I lived from 2007 to 2008. I still remember the affluent nature and light produced as a result of the workings of the northern paradise. I initially painted the picture of "Komorebi" as the final scene of "Flying Wood Louse," a fairy tale I wrote in Scandinavia. This is one of my most memorable works where I challenged myself using a new blurred painting technique to depict metempsychosis and a new world after rebirth using the motifs of swans on a lake and Komorebi, or sunlight filtering through leaves. 

    Enquire
  • Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers (Large), C21983

    H5 3/8 x W3 3/4 in
    H13.5 x W9.3 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers (Large)

    C21983

    Plants and flowers that thrive during the four seasons show us the mystique, affluence, and generosity of nature. More than 70 species of plants and flowers were painted using gosu (cobalt), and firing was repeated eight times to recreate the plants' natural color tone. The beautiful coloring will remind you of nature's fragrant secrets.

    Enquire
  • Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers (Medium), C21984

    H5 x W3 ¼ in,
    H12.8 x W8.3 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers (Medium)

    C21984

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece.

    Perfume bottles were originally used for religious and medical applications.

    "Ten thousand" plants and flowers of the four seasons are painted colorfully on this bottle. I created this decorative piece so that you can use your senses to imagine the scent of flowers.

     

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, 万花彩香水瓶 II〈中〉Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers II (Medium)

    H4 1/4 x W3 in
    H10.8 x W7.5 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers (Small)

    C21985

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece. Perfume bottles were originally used for religious and medical applications. I painted plants and flowers of the four seasons on this small, pretty perfume bottle. Although crearing this piece was difficult due to its smallness, I made full use of miniature painting techniques to draw more than 50 species of plants and flowers.

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, 万花彩香水瓶 III〈小〉Perfume Bottle: Ten Thousand Flowers IIl (Small)

    H6 1/2 x W3 3/8 in
    H16.6 x W8.5 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Imperial Gift of an Iznik

    C21982

    The drawing on the bottle is based on the patterns of Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs, combined with the Iznik floral arabesque-like pattern.

    The blue color of the Mediterranean has been called "Iznik blue." The composition of the drawing is inspired by many works of fine art produced during the Romanov dynasty under the reign of Alexander III and Nicholas II. 

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Perfume Bottle: Green Phoenix and Arabesque with Gold glaze

    H4 5/8 x W3 ½ in
    H11.6 x W8.8 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Gold and Green Phoenix

    C21986

    A scene from a movie called "Rikyu," starring Rentaro Mikuni, inspired me to create this perfume bottle. In this movie, during a conversation with Tokugawa Ieyasu, Rikyu places a small green glass bottle on the floor of a simple tearoom. I remember the astonishing beauty of the green bottle imported from abroad, sitting quietly inside a Japanese building featuring clay walls, tatami mats, and candlelight. I created this Western-style bottle with a wish to design something that would beautifully fit into the Japanese building that I saw in that movie. 

    Enquire
  • Perfume Bottle: Chrysanthemum Motif in Gold and Blue, C21987

    H4 3/8 x W4 3/8 in,
    H11.2 x W11.2 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Chrysanthemum Motif in Gold and Blue

    C21987

    Since more than 1,000 years ago, Japanese people have cherished September 9 as the date of the Double Ninth Festival and the Chrysanthe­mum Festival. On this date with the two largest yang numbers, people pray for longevity, symbolized by chrysanthemum flowers. The straight chrysanthemum flower painted on this bottle using curved lines represents eternal life. In addition, the thin red lines drawn on the background are called miru, which signifies prosperity.

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, 森羅万象図香水瓶- Perfume Bottle: Shinrabansyo All of Creation

    H4 5/8 x W4 3/8 in
    H11.8 x W11.2 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Shinrabanyo All of Creation

    C21988

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece. Perfume bottles were originally used for religious and medical applications. The composition of many animals and plants drawn on this bottle is based on the design ofJava chintz. This perfume bottle aims to express the source of the universe by combining natural mystical patterns and scentful cultures. 

    Enquire
  • Perfume Bottle: Nile I, C21989

    H7 5/8 x W2 1/2 in
    H19.4 x W6.5 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Nile I

    C21989

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece. Perfume bottles were originally used for religious and medical applications. On this bottle, I painted the portraits of the young King Tutankhamun, who is perhaps the most well-known pharaoh of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and his wife Queen Ankhesenamun. People in ancient Egypt used perfume oil that is similar to today's perfume.

    Enquire
  • Perfume Bottle: Nile II, C21990

    H7 3/4 x W2 5/8 in
    H19.5 x W6.7 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Nile II

    C21990

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece. Perfume bottles were originally used for religious and medical applications. On this bottle, I painted the mysterious landscape of ancient Egypt using deep cobalt blue and gold paints. In addition to Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun, I also drew the portrait of Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, in the background.

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Perfume Bottle: Rokumei (Deer's Cry)

    H5 1/4 x W2 1/2 in
    H13.5 x W6.2 cm

    Perfume Bottle: Bleating Deer

    C21991

    Perfume bottles have a long history. The oldest manufacturer discovered dates back to around 1850 BC in Greece. Three thousand years ago, there was a dynasty called Zhou in China. People of Zhou very much enjoyed music, and arranged folk songs from all over the country into elegant court music. Rokumei was one such tune that was played at parties welcoming state guests. Sophisticated, dignified qinghua {blue flower) and gosai (five colors of blue, yellow, red, white and black) are used to express the imagination of an old poem appreciating the virtue of deer, which always call their friends when they find food.

    Enquire
  • Memorial Box: Imperial Gift of an Iznik Blue I, C21992

    H2 1/8 x W4 1/4 x D2 1/4 in
    H5.2 x W10.7 x D5.7 cm

    Memorial Box: Imperial Gift of an Iznik Blue I

    C21992

    Japan is one of the countries with the longest life expectancy, with an average of 83.84 years (2015). The transience of humans and the transience of memories have something in common. That is why people try to leave their mark on this world. In this work of art, the artist used the ancient Greek plant design pattern and the royal emblem of the modern Romanov dynasty to express the history as a collection of human memories, with a picture of Swan Lake drawn inside the box to illustrate the quiet presence of life.

    Enquire
  • Memorial Box: Imperial Gift of an Iznik Blue II, C21993

    H2 1/8 x W3 5/8 in
    H5.3 x W9.2 cm

    Memorial Box: Imperial Gift of an Iznik Blue II

    C21993

    The tradition of beautiful blue that started from the Cretan civilization on the northern Mediterranean coast was passed on from Greece to Turkey, and then to Russia and Scandinavia, producing an exceptionally beautiful set of patterns afrer being integrated with the wealth of the Russian imperial family in the early modern era. This ceramic box is a combination of the qinghua (blue flower) reminiscent of the deep, quiet forests of Scandinavia, and the golden patterns invented by a genius Russian court designer. Shima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian vividly depicts a famous scene where a box containing a map is presented to Qin Shi Huang. Inside this Memo

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Memorial Box: Melody of Tranquility I

    H2 1/8 x W3 5/8 in
    H5.2 x W9.1 cm

    Memorial Box: Melody of Tranquility I

    C21994

    The mystery of nature lies even within the simple fact that flowers have scents, and small insects gather to collect floral nectar. I created this "Melody of Peace" inspired by the French saying "Un ange passe (An angel is passing)" to portray a world born from a single phrase, where peaceful and orderly natural mystique exists. I painted floral fairies that are said to live in the forests of Athens. In my imagination, the fairies are playing musical instruments in a field of flowers filled with energy and brilliance. 

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Memorial Box: Melody of Tranquility II

    H1 3/4 x W5 1/2 x D2 in
    H4.6 x W13.9 x D5 cm

    Memorial Box: Melody of Tranquility II

    C21995

    I created this “Melody of Peace” to express a beauty that will leave you speechless. The composition of this work was born when I saw a beautiful piece of lace knitting in Brussels where I stayed in January 2020. I drew patterns reminiscent of the lace knitting using a slip of clay and glaze on the cobalt blue gosu paint. I also drew some pretty fairies inside the ceramic box.

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Memory Box: A Gift of the Nile I

    H1 ⅛ x W3 ¼ in,
    H2.9 x W8.3 cm

    Memorial Box: Gift of The Nile I

    C21996

    The ancient Egyptian civilization was a gift from the Nile. The King Tutankhamun drawn on this box was born in around 1360 BC. After becoming the king at the age of 10, Tutankhamun supported the turbulent dynasty along with the young Queen Ankhesenamen. She protected and cared for the king who had health issues, being tired from intense political strife and conflicts with different ethnic groups.

    Enquire
  • Memorial Box: Gift of The Nile II, C21997

    H1 1/8 x W3 1/4 in
    H2.9 x W8.4 cm

    Memorial Box: Gift of The Nile II

    C21997

    An ancient civilization was born at the banks of river Nile around 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt was also a home to a wide variety of patterns, including the cobblestone pattern, ocean wave pattern, and cloisonné pattern. I used mysterious hieroglyphs and a Sphinx design to decorate this ceramic box, expressing the civilization’s eternal history.

     

    Enquire
  • Yuki Hayama, Memory Box: Ten Thousand Flowers

    H2 1/8 x W4 1/8 x D2 1/4 in
    H5.1 x W10.5 x D5.7 cm

    Memorial Box: Ten Thousand Flowers

    C21998

    It is still very difficult to use traditional Japanese paint to display diverse floral colors on a porcelain. For this “Ten Thousand Flowers” motif, I used the meticulous gosai technique on a foundation of detailed qinghua painting to express not only the beautiful colors but also the fragrance and elegance of flowers. A diverse variety of flowers are brought together on this piece, which are based upon the many sketches I drew as I strolled around different mountains and fields during different seasons. The name “Ten Thousand Flowers” is derived from the image of many butterflies dancing over myriad flowers.
  • Memorial Box: Shinrabanyo All Creations, C21999

    H2 1/2 x W2 1/2 in
    H6.3 x W6.4 cm

    Memorial Box: Shinrabanyo All Creations

    C21999

    The earth is filled with life of seven billion people and numerous animals and plants. On the other hand, there are also many species that go extinct. Humans have spent decades to find extraterrestrial life, but none has been discovered yet. The number of planets that can grow life is amazingly rare in this vast universe. This Shinrabansho motif is inspired by the patterns created by ancient Indian people who appreciated the mystery and value of life.

    Enquire