Hiroko Mita’s pottery journey began at Jalan Bahar Clay Studios (JBCS) in 2006. She was introduced to a pottery class that was conducted by Master Potter Iskandar Jalil when she was a Japanese docent at the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore. From 2007 to 2011, she trained at his studio at the Malay Heritage Centre and subsequently at Temasek Potters before continuing her pottery practice at JBCS in 2012.
Hiroko’s works are inspired by nature, music and the people around her reflecting influences of Japanese culture, her study of fine art and graphic design in Japan (1986-1991) and America (1991-1994), as well as life in Singapore since 1996.
The pieces she creates, in various forms and shapes, both functional and non-functional, are fired till 1300°C in the gas kiln. She uses local clay as slip and glaze on her work, or ash from Guan Huat Dragon Kiln – one of the last two remaining dragon kilns in Singapore where JBCS is located – for her ash glaze recipe, to convey her respect to the people, and the land of Singapore where she has lived for 20 years.
Since 2005, Hiroko has been teaching art at Waseda Shibuya Senior High School Singapore.
In 2015, she was appointed by ROHEI Corporation as an instructor specializing in their Artisan Series where she aligns pottery to clients’ objectives and goals. Some of the organizations she has served in this series include OCBC, Berkshire Hathaway and Nanyang Technological University. Hiroko was recommended to be a member of the Ceramic Art Foundation, Japan in 2016. She is married to a Chinese Singaporean. They have three children: two sons and one daughter.
When I first participated in the exhibition “Tribute to Local Clay” that organized by Maya Gallery in 2015, I created one of my signature works, Line Series that express ‘Unity, Harmony and Diversity’. I would like to submit the Line Series that continues to evolve again this time. I also add Singapore local clay to my work to convey my respect for the people and land where I call home.
