Chinoko Sakamoto

Chinoko Sakamoto

Japanese Ceramic Sculptor

Chinoko Sakamoto is a sculptor, based in Nagasaki, Japan and was introduced to clay sculpting during her time at Camberwell College of Arts where she received a BA in Fine Art Sculpture. Sakamoto continues to use clay as her primary material. Each sculpture is unique and is made using hand-building and sculpting techniques finished with her distinctive blend of slips and glazes.

“IN EVERYDAY LIFE, ALL SORTS OF IMAGES ARE STORED IN MY MIND—THEY’RE SCATTERED AND UNORGANISED. BUT WHEN I BEGIN BY DRAWING SIMPLE IDEAS IN MY SKETCHBOOK, I EXTRACT ONLY THE ELEMENTS I FEEL LIKE USING AT THAT MOMENT. IT MIGHT BE A SENSE OF VOLUME, A SHADOW, A TEXTURE, OR A PATTERN—WHATEVER STANDS OUT. FROM THERE, I START TO ABSTRACT THOSE ELEMENTS.”

- Chinoko Sakamoto