In the Studio with Ceramic Artist Kaori Tatebayashi
Photography by Alzbeta Jaresova, unless noted, courtesy of Kaori Tatebayashi
Born into a family of tableware merchants in Arita, Japan, Kaori Tatebayashi is an artist who grew up surrounded by ceramics. When her interests expanded into sculpture, Kaori moved to England to study at the Royal College of Art. She ended up staying in London and becoming a passionate gardener like her grandfather. Now, nearly 20 years after arriving, Kaori is one of the UK’s most interesting botanical artists. Join us for a look at her first one-person show.
The Tristan Hoare Gallery is set in a well-preserved 1780s building on London’s historic Fitzroy Square; shown here, Kaori Tatebayashi’s Cardoon, a spiny, artichoke-like thistle that she cultivates in her South East London garden.
Gallery owner Tristan Hoare was so enchanted by Kaori’s studio in Camberwell, in South London, that he asked her to temporarily move it into his space and to work from there.
Kaori makes her ceramics by hand and by close observation of her “models.”
The multi-drawer cabinet originally stored butterflies at the British Museum.
The back wall is Kaori’s “mood board.”
Photograph by Sophie Davidson
Large work, such as this Bramble, is made in pieces and assembled on the wall.