Toshiaki Noda – (Link to a small body of ceramic sculpture completed a few months ago)

I believe art always matters to us regardless of the time in which we live. It matters even when we are in a crisis like this. I believe there are more important things in our daily lives that come before, however art is the essential part of us no matter who you are. It has been a part of every human culture and society and makes our days brighter by stimulating our minds and moving us. It is a spiritually rich experience. I would be thirsty and dried up without making, or seeing art. For some of us, art may be needed even more during a crisis.

I have no access to the communal ceramic studio during this time so I’m not making clay works. I can spend more time thinking about my future ceramic works and doing sketches. I have also wanted to experiment with different materials and to work on different mediums. Because I’ve been prioritizing ceramics I can now use this time to work on non-ceramic mediums and/or mixed media works combined with ceramics. I don’t yet know the specific materials I will use, or how I’ll use them, but I will figure it out.

Location: Toshiaki Noda was born in 1982 in Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan. He lives and works in Queens, NY.