"Untitled 2" by Kei Matsukata Nguyen
Medium: Clay
Dimensions: 8.5"h x 11.5"w x 4.5"d
“Slab-building is the technique I have grown to love after exploring other methods such as wheel throwing and hand building. While it gives a sense of structure, the finished pieces often feel organic and free-flowing, defined by geometric lines and curves. My work usually starts with a block of clay rolled out into sheets. Sometimes I draw my ideas down for inspiration and direction, but more often my work starts to form as I cut the clay sheets into random shapes. I akin this experience to free association. My pieces are fired at Cone10 high-fire.
My work explores the meaning of (im)perfection by blurring the boundaries between linear and nonlinear, geometric and organic forms. Having spent my formative years in Japan, where precision and conformity are often celebrated, I’ve always been fascinated by imperfection and nuance. Why are we so drawn to perfection - in beauty, academics, and society - when it is imperfection that makes each of us unique? Clay feels like a particularly fitting medium for exploring this theme. I took a course in sculpture as an elective in art school, but at the time I didn’t appreciate clay’s inherent imperfection. In fact, I disliked it because it was difficult to control. Later, during my training in art therapy, I was taught to avoid using clay with certain populations because it was considered “regressive.” Unlike graphite or fabric, clay resists precision and control. When I returned to clay in 2022, I was finally ready to embrace those very qualities. My pull toward perfection is something I experience daily, perhaps shaped by my personality, where I grew up, or my need for control. Whatever its source, I now accept it as part of who I am. It is within this tension between control and release that the nuance in my work emerges.”
Kei Matsukata Nguyen is a Tokyo-born, Los Angeles–based ceramic and textile artist. With a background in fine arts, art therapy, and social work, her practice reflects a deep belief in art’s ability to heal and challenge inhibition. A longtime quilter and visual artist, Kei began working with clay in 2022, drawn to its ability to loosen her relationship with perfectionism. Her clay work is influenced by the Japanese Mingei Movement, modern architecture, and contemporary American quilters, and it reflects her fascination with the medium’s capacity to celebrate flaws. Kei balances her studio practice with her work as a clinical social worker, a dual role that continues to inform her interest in healing, imperfection, and human experience.
Medium: Clay
Dimensions: 8.5"h x 11.5"w x 4.5"d
“Slab-building is the technique I have grown to love after exploring other methods such as wheel throwing and hand building. While it gives a sense of structure, the finished pieces often feel organic and free-flowing, defined by geometric lines and curves. My work usually starts with a block of clay rolled out into sheets. Sometimes I draw my ideas down for inspiration and direction, but more often my work starts to form as I cut the clay sheets into random shapes. I akin this experience to free association. My pieces are fired at Cone10 high-fire.
My work explores the meaning of (im)perfection by blurring the boundaries between linear and nonlinear, geometric and organic forms. Having spent my formative years in Japan, where precision and conformity are often celebrated, I’ve always been fascinated by imperfection and nuance. Why are we so drawn to perfection - in beauty, academics, and society - when it is imperfection that makes each of us unique? Clay feels like a particularly fitting medium for exploring this theme. I took a course in sculpture as an elective in art school, but at the time I didn’t appreciate clay’s inherent imperfection. In fact, I disliked it because it was difficult to control. Later, during my training in art therapy, I was taught to avoid using clay with certain populations because it was considered “regressive.” Unlike graphite or fabric, clay resists precision and control. When I returned to clay in 2022, I was finally ready to embrace those very qualities. My pull toward perfection is something I experience daily, perhaps shaped by my personality, where I grew up, or my need for control. Whatever its source, I now accept it as part of who I am. It is within this tension between control and release that the nuance in my work emerges.”
Kei Matsukata Nguyen is a Tokyo-born, Los Angeles–based ceramic and textile artist. With a background in fine arts, art therapy, and social work, her practice reflects a deep belief in art’s ability to heal and challenge inhibition. A longtime quilter and visual artist, Kei began working with clay in 2022, drawn to its ability to loosen her relationship with perfectionism. Her clay work is influenced by the Japanese Mingei Movement, modern architecture, and contemporary American quilters, and it reflects her fascination with the medium’s capacity to celebrate flaws. Kei balances her studio practice with her work as a clinical social worker, a dual role that continues to inform her interest in healing, imperfection, and human experience.