We've teamed up with NOZZA SERVICE to present 'DEVILS', a unique body of ceramic works from celebrated Japanese artist ancco. We've curated a 10 day exhibition in-store, ancco's first in the UK, and produced a collaborative graphic t-shirt to coincide. In celebration we've hit up ancco for our infamous 10 Questions. Check out her answers below, and shop the exclusive ceramic works and t-shirt.
At first, you would think ancco’s work would fall in the category of 'Kawaii' because of her aesthetics with the cute characters and colourful composition.
However, when observing her career and works in detail, she is of course not an artist that can be labeled on that basis alone, but a mixture of factors such as the Internet culture including “drawing boards” that nurtured ancco in the pre-social media era, struggle of adults who have babies in their hearts, aspects of contemporary society and politics, and her love for worn-out stuffed animals and details. The work is a mixture of these elements.
In recent years, she has been tending to make more ceramic works, and the process of making ceramic was a frighteningly new experience for ancco, who had been creating works of art by drawing the images in her mind without any deviation and by controlling the surface of the painting. By shaping the clay with time and love and firing it in the kiln, she learned that it was not under her control like the materials ancco had worked with before. “Ceramic art cancels out ideals, for better or worse. It was difficult for me to accept this at first, because I am obsessive and always bound by the feeling that I have to be this way. It was a continuous process of acceptance. It was very similar to accepting myself,” says ancco.
"'Devils' are staying in some shape in the hearts of each of us and it would be put in a cage, or you would try to kick-out. However they are part of your mind so sometimes facing and chatting with Devils would bring some conversations inside you leading to accepting something."
There are 5 exclusive ceramic pieces available to shop in-store and online from September 15th.
1. Peach Devil
2. Padlock Devil
3. Key Devil
4. Caterpillar Devil
5. Keeper of the Key
