Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1980, the artist known as Otani Workshop began using this name in 2005. Now based in the town of Shigaraki, Otani works with a diverse range of materials, including wood, iron, and ceramics. His pieces retain the raw, coarse texture of unrefined clay, which, combined with their playful, charming qualities, gives them a unique sculptural presence. Otani participated in group exhibitions curated by Takashi Murakami, featuring ceramics, at Blum & Poe’s Los Angeles and New York galleries in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In his 2016 solo show at Kaikai Kiki Gallery, titled When I Was Seventeen, I Learned About Giacometti from My Art Teacher and Became Drawn to Sculpture—and So I Make Sculptures Now, Otani explored the intersection of ceramics and sculpture.
