Kuniko Kinoto

Kuniko Kinoto (b. 1976, Shiga Prefecture, Japan) is a ceramic sculptor whose practice traces the shifting boundary between natural phenomena and human intervention. She lives and works in Shiga, near the historic Shigaraki Ceramic Sculpture Park — a region long recognized as a vital center of ceramic innovation. Educated in glaze research at the Shigaraki Ceramic Research Institute, Kinoto developed a nuanced understanding of material behavior through years of working with traditional noborigama kilns. This early immersion in the chemistry and choreography of firing continues to shape the precision and experimentation at the core of her practice. Her work reflects a distinct synthesis of technical mastery and conceptual clarity, producing sculptural forms that echo geological transformation while retaining a deliberate, human-made presence. Kinoto was recently commissioned by NOMA in Kyoto.