Matsui Kosei: Master of Neirage

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.