Hanada: When did you first encounter ceramics?

Yuki Matsuba : It was during my high school years. I went to a reasonably good academic high school in Osaka City. I felt like a country kid who had studied hard just to get in. I loved music and wanted to be fashionable, so instead of riding a bicycle like the locals, I preferred commuting into the city with a transit pass, even if it took longer. However, most of the other students were there simply because it was close to their homes, so they always seemed completely relaxed. On top of that, it was one of those rare high schools at the time without a uniform, and right from the start, there were so many cool, stylish people. It was a bit of a culture shock for a kid from the countryside. In my first year, I became very close with a friend who shared my love for music. We did part-time jobs together, exchanged the CDs we bought, went clothes shopping, and attended live shows. I found a lifelong best friend whom I am still in touch with today. It was a time when I became deeply immersed in music and urban culture.

Hanada: What kind of music did you like?

Yuki Matsuba : Punk and hardcore. At the time, crossover mixture bands that blended hardcore, rap, and hip-hop were really popular. I was constantly chasing music that was heavy, fast, and dark, yet incredibly cool.

Hanada: That was around the time when the glitz of 80s MTV was starting to settle down.

Yuki Matsuba : The Summer Sonic festival started during my first year. The headliners were exactly those kinds of bands. Everyone around me was so excited, saying things like, “I went to Summer Sonic.” Some kids even said, “I want to do music, so I’m quitting school,” and just left for America. For me, it was a culture shock just realizing that school was something you could choose to drop out of halfway through.

Hanada: In that kind of environment, it must have been easier to choose to pursue ceramics simply because you liked it.

Yuki Matsuba : Yes, exactly. Up until high school, I had been on a predetermined track, but for better or worse, I saw many people suddenly step off that track.

Hanada: And that is how you also encountered ceramics.

Yuki Matsuba : One of my friends invited me to an art university open campus during our third year, and choosing pottery for the hands-on workshop trial was the catalyst. The professor there praised me, saying, “You’re really good at the pottery wheel!” That naturally got me excited. I think those encouraging words gave me a push, though I didn’t actually apply to that school.

Hanada: (Laughs)

Yuki Matsuba : Later, when I talked to my parents about wanting to go to an art university, they completely rejected the idea. Since they had always told me to focus on traditional studies, it was hard for them to imagine going to an art-focused school. They weren’t the type to say, “Go on your own even if you have to get a scholarship,” and I wasn’t the type of kid to say, “I’ll figure out a way to go by myself.” When I look back, people who go to art universities have usually already started by attending preparatory art schools. I was naive. While I backed down easily at the time, I realized later that regular comprehensive universities also have fine arts departments. Compared to a dedicated art university, my parents wouldn’t object as much, and the tuition was cheaper. So, I enrolled in the ceramics course within the Department of Fine Arts at a faculty of liberal arts.

Hanada: Do you study only ceramics in the ceramics course?

Yuki Matsuba : Since it was a liberal arts faculty, we studied other subjects as well. The non-art professors I met there were incredibly interesting. For instance, a philosophy professor who wasn’t an art teacher told me, “I just love painting, so I keep doing it,” and he would paint. I spent a lot of time hanging out in his office.

Hanada: What did you do in his room?

Yuki Matsuba : I just went to chat. I’d tell him things like, “Professor, I went to this place over the weekend.”

Hanada: That sounds just like Good Will Hunting…

Yuki Matsuba : That professor loved 60s and 70s rock. He was completely into psychedelia, prog rock, folk, and the “Love & Peace” movement, researching things like the true meaning of love. He would say, “I used to live as a freelancer and a bit of a freeloader, but now I’m a professor. You never know what life will bring.” Another professor, who taught cultural anthropology, often took me out for lunch. He was a heavy smoker and would light up wherever we went—on the campus terrace or at family restaurants. He loved jazz so much that during an earthquake, he saved his jazz records before checking on his family, and he laughed saying his family still brings it up today. They were people who prioritized living an interesting life above all else. Since this all happened when I wasn’t expecting anything at all, it was incredibly fun.

Hanada: What did you do after graduation?

Yuki Matsuba : I had my doubts about job hunting and fell behind, so after graduating, I spent four years working as a sound engineer at the live music venue where I had worked part-time during my student days. The turning point was that the owner of the venue absolutely loved ceramics. He was an amazing musician, and before I started working there, I had no idea he also owned a live music venue, which surprised me. He was someone who lived freely and gave me a push, saying, “The path of ceramics sounds wonderful. You should absolutely pursue it.” He took me to antique shops in Kyoto and was incredibly supportive. He still comes to my solo exhibitions today. He is a true benefactor—really, an absolute benefactor. That venue was a very free place, and I feel like I learned how to live from the senior staff and musicians I met there.

Hanada: Your interactions with various people really gave you that push. I believe it is your own warm personality that allowed these connections to become such a supportive force.

Yuki Matsuba : After that, I attended a pottery technical school in Kyoto, apprenticed under Yuichi Ikai for three years, and then studied glazes at a testing center. I became independent after that, but for a while, I worked part-time at kilns in Kyoto and helped fire wood-burning kilns. It has now been about ten years since I went independent.

Hanada: What is the appeal of ceramics for you?

Yuki Matsuba : I love wood-firing, and I find beauty in how ceramics—though man-made objects—are further refined by time and nature, like old or distorted pieces. However, I don’t think just anything like that is good. I prefer pieces that retain a sense of structure and feature beautiful lines. For example, early earthenware from China and Korea has a sharp, crisp form that I really like.

I am mindful of this when I create my own work. I like the rims to be crisp and dignified. At the same time, I feel I don’t need to push my ego to the point of saying, “This is my individual style.” I entrust the work I make to the flames during firing. Then, hoping that the finished pieces will be used with care, I entrust them to the people who receive them. That is the feeling I have.

Hanada: Please tell us what you would like to do in the future.

Yuki Matsuba : I am curious about how the sensibilities I put into my daily work will be received by people overseas. I would love to hold more solo exhibitions abroad.

Hanada: Which regions are you thinking of?

Yuki Matsuba : Perhaps the US and Europe. I still love American and European music today.

Hanada: It would be wonderful to continue your work in the land where you were born and raised, and to share it with the places you admire.

Yuki Matsuba : Yes. Also, on this land inherited from my ancestors, I want to create a landscape that I love by moving structures without demolishing them and adding plants. I’d like to renovate the untouched buildings on the property to create a space where I can create work, relax while listening to music, or enjoy a drink. If the atmosphere of the place changes, the things I make might change as well. I see it all as an extension of the same path, and I am looking forward to it.

Hanada: You have also built a new home.

Yuki Matsuba : Right now, the new building stands right next to the old factory. It’s impossible to clean everything up all at once, so my ideal is to gradually upgrade our living space within what I can manage myself.

Hanada: We are looking forward to the upcoming exhibition.

Yuki Matsuba : Since Hanada is a new venue for me, I am very excited. I look forward to seeing what kind of work emerges when I create with that feeling.

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