YOSHINORI AKAZAWA (1971- ) : KYOTO-BASED CONTEMPORARY ARTIST

Ceramic, Sculpture, Nihonga (Japanese-style painting), Photography –
Yoshinori Akazawa’s artistic activity is based in Japan but has been exhibited and collected around the world in Italy, Spain, Austria, Tunisia, France, Latvia and many others.

Yoshinori Akazawa was born in 1971 as the eldest son of the 4th Roseki Akazawa.

He works and lives in Kyoto, Japan. From 1991 to 1995 he studied Japanese painting at Kyoto City University of Arts, from 1996 to 1997 he studied potter’s wheel and basic ceramic at Kyoto prefectural potter technological special school, and from 1997 to 1998 he studied specialize materials and glaze at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial research institute Industrial Technology Center, Ceramic course. He opened a class for teaching Japanese painting from 2001 to 2014. At the same time, he worked in pottery and produced ceramic works at the pottery studio of his father, Roseki Akazawa IV. Meanwhile, in 2005, he became a member of the Kyoto City University of Arts K.C.U.A/Art Education Society, became an officer of the Kyoto branch. In 2012, he served as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Ceramics at Kyoto City University of Arts, giving practical guidance and slide lectures on Kochi ware techniques. In 2020, he became a Member of Kyoto traditional ceramic artist association. In 2021, he succeeded to Roseki AKAZAWA, the 5th. In 2022, he became a Member of Kyoto Kogei association.

Since visiting Shanghai, China in 1992 as a student, he has visited museums and ruins in India, Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan, London, and Paris. Afterwards, he traveled to Egypt, Switzerland, France, Italy, Monaco, Turkey, Austria, Spain, and Tunisia for research purposes and to participate in international ceramic art exhibitions.

His interest in multiple languages may be due to his high IQ. In 2019, he was elected as a member of Mensa Japan. He studied English as his first foreign language until university in Japan. In addition, he took a short course at the British council’s Kyoto branch. He studied French for two years and German for one year at university. He took a short course in French at the Kyoto branch of the French government’s Maison franco-japonaise.

Since the 1990s, he has regularly exhibited at solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and competitions both in Japan and abroad. His works are included in museums and galleries in Japan and abroad.