山端 - Yama no Ha: Yoko Ozawa

山端 - Yama no Ha

"余白Yohaku" (Blank space), a Japanese notion, underlies the expression of Ozawa's work. For her, the space observed when surveying landscapes—or the space between objects—is not nothingness; rather, it is something that is constantly in motion. Even the invisible air we breathe is never truly static. Ozawa's work illustrates this everyday celestial event and highlights natural phenomena such as wind, light and shadow, gravity, and seasonal changes. She uncovers their presence through small daily observations and records those fleeting moments.

Ozawa's new exhibition, "山端 - Yama no Ha," was inspired during her stay at her studio, which is currently under construction in Otways. She observed the transition from summer to autumn while surrounded by the vast Australian landscape.

The title "山端 - Yama no Ha" translates to "Mountain Edge" in English; however, it signifies more than just a ridge. It represents the boundary between land and sky, extending from the land's silhouette along the ridge deep into the forests at dusk or into the misty valleys of the morning. This poetic expression has been used in haiku since ancient times and remains relevant today. Ozawa's work articulates this yohaku space, conveying the connectivity between humans and the nature around us.

A Japan- born, Melbourne-based artist, Yoko Ozawa has been making ceramics since 2003 in Japan and Australia. She studied Graphic design in collage, and Japanese painting in university in Tokyo. She discovered pottery whilst working as a graphic designer in Tokyo. After moving to Australia, she set up her studio in 2012 in Melbourne. Since then, she has had the experiences of joining exhibitions and events in Australia and overseas.