SAI Satoko

Profile

Born in Chiba, Japan in 1976. Lives and works in Tokyo. Graduated with an BA in Tama Art University, Department of Ceramic,Glass, and Metal Works (Faculty of Ceramic) in 2002.

Tokyo-based ceramic artist. Since 2002, she has been a member of the duo Satoko Sai + Tomoko Kurahara. From 2009 to 2024, they collaborated with Marja Pirilä on "Inner Landscapes," a project translating elderly individuals' personal histories and family albums into ceramics and photography across Japan and Finland.

Recent exhibitions
2025 “From Mingei to Relations: With a Focus on Community Design,” Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga, Japan
2024 “Remembrance beyond images,” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
2024 “Inner Landscapes, other stories,” POETIC SCAPE, Tokyo
2021 “Inner Landscapes, Tokyo,” Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo
2016 “Inner Landscapes, Turku,” HAGISO, Tokyo

About works

Satoko Sai believes ceramics is a great tool to keep human memories and images. Her work combines handwork with silk-screen transfer techniques. She creates art based on personal histories and old family albums. By printing these photos onto clay and firing them, she saves memories that usually disappear over time. Her current project, "ZAINICHI Piece" (started in 2024), focuses on her own family history as a Zainichi Korean. She interviews people, looks at their past photos, and visits important places for her research. She then puts these stories together on ceramic tiles. Through this project, she wants to keep the disappearing memories of Zainichi Koreans and pass them on to the next generation. For her, this is a way to value the personal roots that connect to our lives today.