75. Hayashi Shigeki  林茂樹

Shigeki Hayashi was born in 1972 in Toki, Gifu Prefecture, the largest ceramic production city in Japan. Ceramics had no particular appeal for Shigeki Hayashi, however, and initially he studied International Relations at Hayashi University. But during his student days, he became increasingly fascinated by the beauty of porcelain and pottery, which led him, after graduation, to study ceramic science and art at Tajimi Technical High School, known for its advanced training in ceramics. Hayashi Shigeki has created a unique world of porcelain, fascinated by the detailed and executed to perfection figures in science fiction settings. They evoke a world of machines and virtual fantasy, sleek and futuristic and with a high level of cuteness that is ubiquitous in Japanese youth culture. Hayashi Shigeki takes his inspiration from that youth culture of science fiction, anime movies and manga comic books, but his figures also have the recognizable traits of the Kewpie dolls, a brand of dolls and figurines that were already conceived in 1909 as comic strip characters by cartoonist Rose O'Neill. His (slipcasting) technique for moulding the large porcelain figures is unmatched. Slipcasting is a casting technique for the mass production of pottery and thus gives the possibility of obtaining numerous identical specimens. For the figures of Shigeki Hayashi this involves a long process of kneading, shaping and firing. Each figure consists of numerous parts for which he himself makes the necessary plaster molds. These are cast individually and then fired with extreme precision, glazed and assembled with epoxy glue and bolts. Because Hayashi Shigeki has no assistance and performs all the processes himself, it sometimes takes six months and more to complete a work. Streamlined as if from the factory, they are based on great skill and craftsmanship.
Shigeki Hayashi has received numerous awards both domestically and internationally, including the Grand Prix at the International Competition for Contemporary Ceramic Art in Faenza and the Best Sculptural Ceramics Prize at the Japan Modern Ceramics Sculpture Exhibition. His works are in the collections of such prominent museums as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Musée de la Céramique in Vallauris, France, the Faenza International Pottery Museum in Italy and the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, among others. i