Ahead of her new solo show at Flow in July 2024, we visit Akiko Hirai’s studio to discuss her work and inspiration.

Rin-ne Tensho 輪廻転生

Interview & Text by Alina Young; Photography by Isobel Napier

Rin-ne Tensho 輪廻転生

– n. the cycles of reincarnation

rin-ne: circle, a wheel revolving, an endless cycle

tensho: transmigration of life, birth, death

From Japanese Buddhism

Whilst preparing her new solo exhibition for Flow, Akiko Hirai has been inspired by the changing seasons on her daily walk to the studio. 

"Lately, it rains a lot, and the green comes out. So, it's water and colour. On the surface of these pots, there is texture - that is rain. There is a little green on the outside. These are the themes of the faceted pieces. The dark one is more towards the night. But recently, when I go home it's still bright - so I only made one in this collection. When it's brighter outside, I find myself making brighter things. It comes naturally with handmade things, they reflect what you see."“Between table-top and art, castle and hut, the natural and the man-made, the beautiful and the ugly, the fragile and the coarse ... just in-between.”

-Akiko Hirai

Akiko's title for the show, "Rin-ne Tensho 輪廻転生", relates to reincarnation and the cycles of life. Alongside her inspiration from the changing seasons, she relates to a sense of circularity in her process - the cyclical nature of accumulation and disintegration.

"In the plates, it's the thickness of the slip underneath; under the white slip, which crackles, it’s dark. You rotate the plate after applying it, to move the slip around; where it’s the thicker part, it’s the bigger crack, where it’s the thinner part, it’s the finer crack. Where it’s thinly applied and you can see more green, you can see things growing. This is accumulation. The Moon Jar is also about many things accumulated, growing… the very quiet ones too. When the accumulation gets too much, it comes off. It’s the natural cycle. It’s circulating. In a word, this is Rin-ne Tensho, reincarnation." 

Akiko Hirai has shown with Flow Gallery for over 15 years, and so we are delighted to be hosting this solo exhibition during our 25th anniversary celebrations.