Born in 1994 in Numazu-city of Shizuoka, Japan, Rie Aizawa graduated from the Crafts Department (Ceramic Section) of Osaka University of Arts in 2017, and then from Kasama College of Ceramic Art in 2018. She currently lives and works in Kasama City of the Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan.

Her making process begins with spraying coloured porcelain slip—tinted with blue, green, pink, and other pigments—onto a hand-built stoneware form using an air compressor. The work is then fired multiple times to build up subtle gradations of colour. This cycle of spraying and firing is repeated several times until the surface emerges as intended.

A recipient of many honours, Aizawa has most recently been awarded the Bronze Award at the 13th International Ceramics Exhibition Mino in 2024, 9th Kikuchi Biennale Collection Award in 2022, the 8th Ceramic Art Society of Japan Award in 2021 and the 51st Women’s Association of Ceramic Art Award in 2017. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

My inspiration comes from natural landscapes. I enjoy looking at underwater photography, snowy scenery, and images of minerals. I am also drawn to the macro world of driftwood and stones, and I like photographing them as well.

I feel a sense of romance in the way things accumulate or gradually diminish over time. Perhaps what I ultimately aspire to is to create such ideal landscapes through my own work. And I also love the feeling of moist, humid air. — Aizawa

Group Exhibitions

1. Small Works, Great Artists 24 February - 14 March 2026
2. Japanese Ceramics 20 September - 5 October 2023