Matsui Kosei: Master of Neirage
An exhibition exploring the expressive potential of colour, pattern and structure within clay
24 September – 18 October 2026, Margaret Howell, Wigmore St, W1U 2RS
Matsui Kosei (1927–2003) devoted his career to pushing the possibilities of neriage, a demanding technique in which differently coloured clays are layered and folded so that pattern runs through the material itself. Through decades of experimentation, he developed a remarkable visual language in which colour, structure and movement appear to emerge organically from within the clay.
In Matsui’s vessels, pattern is not applied to the surface, but becomes part of the object’s very structure. Lines move through the clay like geological strata or currents in water, revealing their complexity gradually through light and touch. A focused group of works will be presented in London this September, offering a rare opportunity to encounter Matsui’s ceramics outside Japan.
Presented in collaboration with Margaret Howell, the exhibition brings Matsui’s work into a setting shaped by a longstanding appreciation of materials, craftsmanship and considered design. There is a particular resonance between Matsui’s approach to making and Margaret Howell’s own practice, where the qualities of materials and the processes through which they are transformed remain central.
A focused group of works will be presented in London this September, offering a rare opportunity to encounter Matsui’s ceramics outside Japan.
Matsui Kosei: Master of Neriage
An exhibition exploring the expressive potential of colour, pattern and structure within clay
24 September – 18 October 2026
Margaret Howell, 34 Wigmore St, London W1U 2RS
COMING SOON