Specializes in creating sculptural ceramic objects using various hand-building techniques.
"I started making ceramics in 2012 after more than 15 years of working in a brand, visual, and design studio. My hand-built ceramic work focuses on two spectrums - one, the Japanese wabi-sabi-inspired pieces that exude the quality of transience, and the other, a minimal approach that is an interpretation of nature and study of shapes and forms."
Born in Tokyo with stops in Singapore and LA, and having lived most of her adult life in NY, Akiko is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer based in Los Angeles. As a ceramist and illustrator, she has collaborated with Paloma Wool, Maman NYC, Chillhouse, Pax, Hedley & Bennett, With Others, etc., and her work has been sold at Lang Los Angeles, Virgil Normal, Voyager, Tekuno Tea, 97 Crosby, and Steven Alan, as well as to interior designers and private collectors. In 2019, she released the book "Vase and Flower," featuring her ceramic works with arrangements by renowned floral artists from around the globe, which sold out at William Stout Architectural Books, Heath Newsstand, and Arcana Books.
Between 2001 and 2002, and since 2015, she has been creating innovative, handcrafted garments sold at shops in NY, SF, and LA. In 2023, she designed a collection for Laurie Anderson while continuing the VOGUE featured collaboration with Troentorp Sweden. Between 2021 and 2023, she created the “Meet” editorial with interviews featuring her garments worn by artists, all tasks done single-handedly. Since 2024, she has created and sold one-of-a-kind garments and products, and held pop-ups and exhibited her paintings at Lang Los Angeles while continuing to create ceramics, paintings, and garments. In 2026, Akiko's "Reconfiguration" site-specific installation concept was selected as an Uncool Gallery Spring cohort, and her work is now available through the gallery and Artsy.
