Box in the Shape of an Object Wrapped with a Polka-Dot Textile Wrapper (Furoshiki)

When tea utensils are carried somewhere or stored away, the storage boxes in which they are housed are typically wrapped in precious textiles. This whimsical porcelain work imitates a box wrapped in a polka-dot furoshiki, the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. By merging playful form with vibrant surface design, Matsuda Yuriko transforms an ordinary object into a sculptural statement, blurring the boundaries between craft, contemporary art, and pop culture. A pioneering student of master ceramists Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886–1963), Kondō Yūzō (1902–1985), and Kiyomizu Rokubei VII (1922–2006), Matsuda has taken the tradition of polychrome-enamel decoration on porcelain in bold new directions. She hand-builds her forms, often with humor and a distinctly avant-garde sensibility—drawing inspiration from everyday motifs such as fruit, vegetables, and feet. Her surfaces are intricately adorned with patterns that reference historical styles while asserting a contemporary spirit.