Jezzel Wee and Her Yakishime Journey
words by Spike Acosta
Jezzel Wee is a rising star in the world of Philippine ceramic art. Her works are known for their warmth that still evoke a sense of technique and mastery of the medium. Her pieces have been exhibited around the country, being showcased recently at the acclaimed Art Fair Philippines 2025. She is also an educator; a prominent figure at the U.P. Diliman College of Fine Arts, Ceramics Studio.
She also served as the primary consultant for the Japan Foundation 2024 traveling exhibition Yakishime: Earth Metamorphosis, hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art.
“There was this antique shop beside our motorcycle shop in Palawan. I bugged my mom to buy me this small jar from that store because I liked how it looked. I think I was in the 4th grade then. My interest began really at a young age,” Jezzel explains when asked about her first memories of ceramics. “Growing up I see all these ceramic collections of my mom at home. These were small figurines that I wasn’t allowed to touch. I remember this one piece that was a burger with a rat on top of it having a picnic. It was so cute and detailed. It was the small details that attracted me to it.”
Jezzel’s fondness for ceramics started early in life at home with her mother and her predilection for ceramics took shape during her college years, sparked by a ceramics elective class in her third year at the U.P. Diliman College of Fine Arts. “I thought it would be easy but it was not,” Jezzel said on her first foray with actually making ceramic works. “I thought it was just a matter of making it and I wouldn’t need to care about the technical aspects involved. I realized that it wasn’t just art, but also science.” Although different from what she anticipated, the experience was still illuminating. The complex nature of transforming earth into something crafted from her mind fascinated her even further. “The tactile quality of it made it stand out from other mediums of art. Out of nothing, from just a ball of clay you can make an object, whether it’s functional or sculptural. The process it undergoes is very interesting. It’s not like when you make it then that’s it. There’s still a lot going on, many elements involved from the beginning til the end for your idea to materialize. There’s a certain unpredictability, but at the same time you can gauge and expect.
She continued to pursue ceramics after college, Japan being her next destination to develop her practice further. There she came face-to-face with the Japanese style of ceramics called Yakishime. Yakishime refers to the traditional Japanese method of wood firing unglazed wares at very high temperatures. Yakishime had its beginnings in the late 12th century and are characterized by their durability and natural finish.
Jezzel spent three years working as an apprentice at the Tsugaru Kanayama Pottery Company, based in Aomori. “All of the kilns there were wood fired, so Yakishime are their main works,” Jezzel describes the uniqueness of her environment. “You’re playing with the clay’s body, color, firing atmosphere, the wood that you would use, and the amount of charcoal that you would put in. That’s what I was exposed to.”
As with the start of most things, Jezzel faced challenges at the beginning of her apprenticeship. First was the language. She was the only foreigner at the company so she had to learn Nihongo immediately to be able to communicate with those around her. Second was learning the technical aspects of Yakishime, while setting aside her artistic inclinations. After a year of absorbing as much as she can from her Japanese mentors, Jezzel found a rhythm and things began to flow. At this point in her apprenticeship, after learning the science of it all, she was allowed to let her artistic talents shine. “Eventually they asked me to design tableware for them. I designed a cloud plate and it became popular in Japan! It’s funny because one of the people who bought the plate was apparently a celebrity. She’s known all over, so she posted it on Instagram and everybody started ordering!” It was a proud moment for Jezzel, but at the same time, because of the fact that the pieces were all handmade, it required intensive effort to keep up with the demand. “During my three year stay, I made 3,000 pieces,” she said with a smile. Due to her success and innate talent, she was charged with more work requiring an artistic aptitude as the company’s chief designer. After three years, and thousands of pieces made, she decided to return to the Philippines to share what she’s learned from her time in Aomori.
It was because of her experience and intimate knowledge of Japanese ceramics that she was approached to be the primary consultant when the Yakishime: Earth Metamorphosis exhibition made its way to the Philippines. Her expertise was valuable in the handling of the ceramic pieces and mounting them at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila during the exhibition’s first leg. “I wanted to cry,” Jezzel said with a laugh when asked about what it felt like opening the crates for the first time. “It had been a while since I saw pieces made in the Japanese way. There was also an opportunity to touch the works so I took my time in appreciating all of them.” For her, it was like seeing an old friend after a long time apart. “I think my deep level of appreciation is because I worked in Japan for three years. I saw the process, how it’s fired, how it’s made.”
During the exhibition’s opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Jezzel was also responsible for touring the night’s distinguished guests around the exhibition, sharing her expertise and personal fondness for Yakishime. Ambassador Kazuya Endo and his wife Akiko, and NCCA Chairman Victorino Manalo were part of the special entourage that joined Jezzel’s tour that night.
“This exhibition introduces Yakishime ceramics, which developed distinctively in Japan as part of its traditional culture,” says exhibition curator Mieko Iwai. “It explores the history of Yakishime from its origins to the present, its use in tea wares and utensils for serving food, and its emergence as objets d’art. It will offer visitors from other cultures, unfamiliar with these simple yet profoundly tasteful ceramics, an excellent opportunity to experience a sensibility and aesthetic unique to Japan.”
Touring the world since 2016, the exhibition featured objects that span the history of Yakishime. Prominently showcased in the exhibition were utilitarian earthenware, the oldest of which are from the pre-feudal Heian period (794– 1185), as well as tea wares from the Momoyama period (1574–1600). Also highlighted were Yakishime pieces made as works of contemporary art, including creations by noted Japanese ceramicists Takashi Ikura, Kyoko Tokumaru and Makiko Hattori. After its initial showing in Manila, the exhibition made its way to the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art, finishing its run in the Philippines.
When asked about what she wanted the audience to imbibe about the exhibit, Jezzel had this to say: “What I wanted for the viewers of the take away from the exhibition is that ceramics can also be beautiful even if it’s unglazed, if it’s as raw as it can get. I want them to see the interaction between the wood that was fired, the ash that melted, how it was loaded. It goes beyond the colorful finishes that most people are used to. I hope the viewers appreciate the warmth of Yakishime, but not only the ones from Japan, but the ones we have here.”
Yakishime: Earth Metamorphosis was on show in Manila at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila from 4-31 July 2024, and in Iloilo at the Iloilo Museum of Contempoary Art from 17 August – 4 September 2024.
