Otani Workshop isn’t a collective. He’s one man—with a world entirely his own.
Meet the artist behind the curious and captivating clay figures featured in Otani Workshop: Monsters in My Head.
Otani Workshop’s sculptures may seem simply cute at first, but there’s more than charm behind those wide eyes. His works are thoughtful, expertly crafted and full of quiet tension.
Born in 1980 in Shiga Prefecture, in a town near Shigaraki—one of Japan’s oldest and most storied pottery centres—Otani grew up surrounded by mountains and ancient kilns. Clay was never far away. As a child, he wandered the forests, spotting faces in rocks and animals in shadows. That sense of wonder still fuels his work today.
![[left] Otani Workshop, a Japanese man with mid-length black hair, uses a paintbrush to add glaze to a clay sculpture of a beaver. He is in the Shadbolt for the Arts studio. [right] Installation view of a Otani Workshop's "A Boy with a Yellow Button," a ceramic sculpture of the head of a young boy with blond hair and big ears wearing a blue shirt with a white collar and one yellow button.](https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Otani-Workshop-Images_Website2-1024x590.jpg)
In 1999, Otani chose to attend Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts to study sculpture, instead of studying ceramics in Kyoto. In Okinawa, students were taught to trust their hands, and Otani preferred that curriculum.
For Otani, clay sculpture needed to be felt—not just planned.
Otani doesn’t see himself as a ceramicist. His work isn’t made to be useful. It’s expressive, sculptural and often monumental. He first used the name “Otani Workshop” at a local craft fair. It reminded him of kids’ art classes and gave him space for play.
In 2010, Otani Workshop was discovered by artist Takashi Murakami. Soon, Otani’s strange, soulful figures were showing in Tokyo, Paris, Seoul and New York.
When Otani Workshop: Monsters in My Head opened in May, Murakami flew in especially to see Otani’s first solo presentation in North America. Murakami was personally toured through the exhibition by the artist, alongside Diana Freundl, the Gallery’s Senior Curator.
A longtime admirer of Otani’s work, Murakami explored the exhibition with curiosity and enthusiasm, taking in the captivating dreamscape of new and some never-before-seen ceramic sculptures.
![[left] View of Otani Workshop's studio in Japan, situated in an old, converted tile factory. [right] Image of a ceramic bear scultpure by Otani Workshop.](https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Otani-Studio-Update-1024x590.jpg)
Today, Otani has emerged as a leading figure in contemporary ceramics. He works alone on Awaji Island in a converted tile factory with a massive kiln. Life is quiet, deliberate and centered around making.
Each piece begins with a vague image—sometimes no more than a shape that could fit in his palm. As he builds, the figure reveals itself, and at some point he decides: “This is a bear.”
Whimsical, raw and unforgettable, these works must be experienced in person. Explore the wild terrain of Otani Workshop’s imagination on your next visit!
Watch this video to see the artist in action and go behind the scenes into Otani Workshop’s 2024 Deer Lake Artist Residency at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby.
