Ceramist Artist Spotlight: Amia Yokoyama

I recently have many inspirations in the ceramics community, and I have been tremendously admiring the artwork pieces made by Aimia Yokoyama. Amia, who lives and works in Los Angeles, creates ceramics works and videos/installations dedicated to “an exploration of alternative modes of Asiatic personhood existing on the fringes of mainstream culture” (Wong, 2022).

Among her ceramic sculptures of women, I truly appreciate her meticulous attention to detail, such as the sculpted dripping of the porcelain bodies and the choices of glaze that follow. I also appreciate how gestural each figure sits in its own position. 

My favorite sculpture of hers, called “Slow Moon Sink” (Fig. 1), captures my attention in the contrast of the female body figures placed around a dark, cave-like structure. I think that this piece allows my eyes to follow different movements and flows that captivate an important narrative about dismantling the standards of Asian beauty based on European influences. 

If you are interested, check out Amia’s portfolio website here! I hope you can find her pieces as graceful and fleeting as I see them myself! https://www.amiayokoyama.com/

References:

Wong, H. (2022, May 17). 7 Asian american artists using ceramics to break new ground. Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-7-asian-american-artists-ceramics-break-new-ground

"Slow Moon Sink" (Fig. 1)

"Inextricable Encounter" (Fig. 2)