Akiko Hirai, a Japanese-born artist trained in London, creates decorative artworks and tableware that embody the paradoxes of the claymaking process. Drawing on traditional Japanese pottery techniques, her pieces strike a balance between simplicity and sophistication, utilizing a cool and humanistic palette. A graduate of The University of Westminster and Central St Martins, Hirai's work reveals the interplay between the clay's coarseness and crystalline glaze. Making the process visible is integral to her art, expressing the ambiguous, unsettled, and imaginative journey from raw clay to firing. As Head of Ceramics at Kensington and Chelsea College, Hirai produces modern, highly collectible ceramics that celebrate imperfections and the element of chance.