Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1987, Koga is a ceramic artist known for developing ‘NEO WABI-SABI,’ a concept that merges the quiet lineage of wabi-sabi (often associated with Sen no Rikyū) with the flamboyant, rebellious aesthetics of kabuki and basara 婆籲羅 (eccentricity) from the same historical moment.
His signature vessels are made from clay, yet take on a metallic feel—armored, spiked, and confrontational. They affirm the force of the individual in a time when personality is often flattened, while also reimagining the Sengoku-era (15th and 16th centuries) mindset of staking one’s life on beauty and distinction.
Koga treats his works as “devices”: they remain usable as vessels, but they also shape the user’s posture, behavior, and state of mind. Exhibiting internationally in cities including Paris, Milan, Miami, and New York, he moves beyond traditional ceramics, crossing into contemporary art, fashion, and design to project a new kind of Japanese strength outward.
- Section Special Project
- Venue Palazzo Bembo
- Based in Fukuoka, Japan
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