Under The Cherry Tree

Akiko Hirai

Akiko Hirai presents a new body of work including her signature Moon Jars featuring cherry tree wood ash and landscape inclusions. We are delighted to announce that Akiko has been shortlisted for the LOEWE craft prize 2019.

"The work I have created for Under The Cherry Tree was inspired by my memories of Spring in Japan. At home we celebrate the blossoming cherry trees as the pale pink petals float in the air. This period also heralds school graduation and farewells. I used to love this seasonal feeling of melancholy. Winter cherry trees in London are a lot smaller than the Japanese Somei-Yoshino. One night as I returned home from my London studio, I saw the winter cherry trees blossoming under the street light and behind it was the round, white moon. This inspired me to create a cherry tree ash glaze in a beautiful, light peppermint green." - Akiko Hirai, 2019