Akiko Hirai was born in Shizuoka in Japan and moved to London in 1999, studying ceramics at the University of Westminster and Central St. Martins. She makes sculptural ceramics and practicalware using the Japanese tradition of allowing the clay itself to show the way in which it wants to be fired. By focusing on the interaction between object and viewer, Hirai’s work allows the beholder to discover the language of the objects in their own way. Hirai’s Moon Jars are influenced by the Korean examples of the 17th and 18th centuries. Her desire to make them has to do with their innate imperfection and balance within their environment. The imperfection of her Moon Jars is purposeful; she believes that when we see something imperfect or unfinished, our eyes try to make it into a perfect form, and as a result, our imagination is engaged. Rather than trying to control the material, she works in the mode of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, allowing space for spontanaeity. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection, with the beauty of impermanence considered a holistic perfection of nature. This is reflected in her vessels, whose organic, asymmetric forms reflect both Japanese and British studio pottery traditions. Akiko Hirai's work is held in public and private collections across the globe, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Hepworth Wakefield Collection. She was shortlisted for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize in 2019.