Ayane Higa

比嘉 文音

 b. 2000, Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Currently lives and works in Kanazawa, Japan.

Ayane Higa is a ceramic artist whose practice centres on sculptural self-portraits of herself clad in a plush rabbit suit, conceived as a shield for the heart while allowing its sensitivity to be seen. These works, with their eyes closed and ears raised, embody attentiveness and receptivity, staying quietly as images of stillness and inner reflection. The absence of a mouth is intentional: they do not speak in words but communicate through their very presence, allowing the work itself to become a language through which the artist articulates her inner world.

Her works are realised through a process in which boa fabric is immersed in clay slip, dried, and then fired. During firing the textile disappears, leaving a ceramic shell that preserves the folds, textures and softness of the original textiles. Through this transformation, clay acquires a softened, tactile quality, producing sculptures that appear tender yet remain enduring in substance.

By combining this fabric process with porcelain-based clays and pastel pigments, Higa extends her inner world into tangible colour. Each work reflects subtle shifts of her emotion and psychological nuance, inviting the viewer into a space of calm and softness, evoking empathy and quiet reassurance. 

For Higa, ceramics are deeply connected to the human heart: once broken, it can never return to its original state. This irreversibility lies at the core of her vision, allowing her “self in a plush rabbit suit” to appear as a portrait of the heart — shielded yet open, uniting sensitivity with resilience.

Education
2023 BFA in Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, Okinawa, Japan
2025 MFA in Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, Okinawa, Japan
2025– Research Student, Kanazawa College of Art, Ishikawa, Japan

Awards
2023 Contemporary Ceramic Encouragement Prize, Japan Ceramic Society
2023 Encouragement Prize, 11th Toubi Exhibition, Ceramic Art Society of Japan
2024 Selected, 53rd Okinawa Prefectural Arts and Culture Festival Open Exhibition

Selected Exhibitions
2023 Kyushu & Okinawa Show for Contemporary Ceramic Encouragement Prize, Japan Ceramic Society
2025 Ceramic Education and Work Exchange Exhibition 2025, Book and Work Kobe Foundation, Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore, Tokyo

Artist

Works