Artist Creates Surreal Ceramic Vessels That Are Half-Pottery, Half-Octopus

Keiko Masumoto creates ceramic vessels in her Kitsch Kogei collection that are unexpectedly embedded with octopuses. Each piece in the sea-inspired series beautifully blends a surreal silhouette with a classic aesthetic, balancing form and function.

The intricately painted blue-and-white patterns on the ceramic octopus vessels are typical of traditional Chinese (and eventually Japanese) wares. Masumoto’s vases, teapots, and urns, like the ancient pieces that inspired them, are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Masumoto’s contemporary ceramics, unlike ancient pottery, also function as avant-garde, surreal sculptures, with the coiling tentacles, bulbous heads, and ever-watching eyes of octopuses materializing on their glazed surfaces.

This relationship between art and craft is a driving force in the artist’s practice. She aims to question, explore, and challenge conventional perceptions of art by creating pieces that are both functional and sculptural. “Whether it’s art or craft, I want to offer work that is acutely aware of that category, that framework, in order to explore what I myself felt,” she says. “What inspired me to create this series of works was the idea that if featured in an intriguing way, they might generate some insight; works that are situated on that ambiguous boundary.”

Masumoto also makes other odd ceramic composites in addition to her octopus-adorned vessels. They are available on the International Creative Network website.