Kaori Tatebayashi was born in Arita, Japan in 1972, and studied ceramics at Kyoto City University of Art and at The Royal College of Art, London. She is renowned for her ceramic art that beautifully encapsulates the essence of nature and time. Influenced by her childhood experiences in Arita, her sculptural pieces uniquely blend traditional Japanese craftsmanship with a contemporary touch, capturing the fleeting beauty of plants, flowers, and natural elements, often created through direct modeling from life, preserving moments in time within the permanence of clay.
Ceramicist Kaori Tatebayashi was born in 1972 in Arita, Japan, a remote village renowned for its ceramics, and grew up in Kyoto. Her family, who were deeply involved in the world of ceramics, especially her grandfather who was an Arita-ware merchant, instilled in her a profound connection to the craft from an early age. Every summer, Tatebayashi returned to Arita, a place she fondly associated with 'home' and nature. The serene and unchanging beauty of her grandparents' house contrasted starkly with the frequent relocations she experienced with her mother. These childhood visits, immersed in the natural beauty and traditional ceramic culture of Arita, profoundly influenced her artistic path, its rich heritage in ceramics providing Tatebayashi with both inspiration and intimate knowledge of the craft, further deepened by her family's active participation in the local pottery festival.
Tatebayashi completed her MA in Ceramics at Kyoto City University of Art (1995–97), during a time when the Sōdeisha movement, originally initiated by Yagi Kazuo in the mid-20th century, was still influential. This movement was known for creating ceramics that merged the attributes of traditional pottery with sculpture, characterised by an 'earthy' aesthetic, and utilising traditional firing methods. During her studies, Tatebayaashi visited a touring exhibition to Japan organised by the Crafts Council in London, which showcased many sculptural ceramics, and which had a significant impact on her, feeling like a ‘revolution’ (The Modern House). These Western ceramics, with their non-shiny, lightly glazed finishes, resonated with her own artistic aspirations, prompting her to move to London to study at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in 1995. Her Japanese education focused heavily on traditional techniques and mastery of skills, while her time in London and a residency in Denmark brought a liberating shift in her approach, especially in the finish of her work. After her studies, Tatebayashi moved back to Japan but found life in Tokyo unfulfilling. She missed being close to nature and felt disconnected from the seasons. She returned to the UK in 2001, appreciating London's green spaces and calmer pace of life. Her sculptural work was also better received in England than in Japan.
Tatebayashi's initial works were sculptural pieces of inanimate objects, exploring the concept of memory. Her work gradually evolved from replicating single items of clothing to creating more complex installations with various subjects, reflecting a mastery of skill and an interest in still life compositions, featuring plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and creatures like insects and snails. Tatebayashi's current practice is inspired by her passion for gardening, with a focus on capturing moments in time through ceramics. Her first flower-themed ceramic piece, created in 2005 for Ceramic Art London at the RCA was a depiction of a single, wilting rose stem in a vase. This piece marked a significant thematic shift in her work, as it captured a moment in time, symbolising both the transient beauty and the inevitable decay of living things. She declared, ‘I am not trying to preserve plants, but time itself. By preserving plants, which have a very short life, you get the sense of time being captured and permanently frozen’ (Dig Delve).
Tatebayashi's artistic process focuses on sculpting directly from life. She brings real plants and flowers into her studio, using clay and simple tools, including her hands and a home-made knife. This approach allows her to capture the natural imperfections and authentic details of her subjects, steering clear of artificial perfection, and imbuing her work with a lifelike beauty. In her tableware designs, the influence of her childhood experiences in Arita is evident. The simplicity, elegance, and connection to nature that characterised her grandparents' home and the village itself are mirrored in the designs and aesthetics of her tableware, which she crafts through a distinctive moulding technique which she has honed over time.
In 2018, Tatebayashi's first site-specific installation at Forde Abbey, Dorset, seamlessly blended with the historic setting, including the 900-year-old library and gardens. Inspired by September's seasonal beauty, she created an array of dahlias and pumpkins among ancient books and incorporated wildlife motifs, such as nesting swallows, adding a fairy tale ambiance with a hint of spookiness to the historical backdrop. in 2021 her work featured in Constance Spry and The Fashion For Flowers at London's Garden Museum (2021). More recently, Tatebayashi's Still Life exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery, London (2023) marked the Gallery's second collaboration with her. This immersive display contrasted with her previous The Walled Garden exhibit (2021), shifting focus from cultivated gardens to wild plants. The exhibition featured a life-size tableau, transforming the Georgian rooms of the gallery into a space overtaken by nature. Echoing the concept of 'nature morte' or 'dead nature', ceramic representations of weeds, ivy, fruit, and bread were arranged as if in an abandoned house, evoking a sense of human absence. Tatebayashi's work is represented in UK public collections, including Manchester Art Gallery; National Walnut Collection, Northwick Estate; and Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.