Yoshikazu Tanaka

Yoshikazu Tanaka (b. 1983, Osaka, Japan) is a ceramic artist based in Seto, Japan, whose practice explores transformation, rebirth, and the cycles of decay and regeneration. Centered on sculptural form rather than function, Tanaka breaks down old, abandoned, or failed ceramic sculptures and reconstructs them into newly imagined forms. Pulverized remnants are sometimes incorporated into glazes, while found materials such as glass, metal, and light bulbs are embedded in clay and fired, melting and re-emerging as traces of their former selves. For Tanaka, process itself becomes a metaphor for reincarnation and the natural, generative force of transformation.

He is an adjunct professor at Nagoya University of the Arts and Aichi University of the Arts. Tanaka received the Grand Prix at the inaugural Seto-Toshiro Triennale in 2013 and has exhibited internationally, including at the Gyeonggi World Ceramic Biennale in Icheon, Korea, Seto City Museum in Japan, and the European Ceramic Work Centre (EKWC) in the Netherlands. His work is held in the collections of the Seto City Art Museum and Seinan Gakuin University, and he had his first solo exhibition in the U.S. at ATLA Los Angeles in 2025.