Yuta Segawa: SWG Lab

Yuta Segawa: SWG Lab

Yuta initially learned the art of ceramics in Japan and China, taking inspiration from local artisans and handcraft traditions. This instilled a profound respect for craftsmanship and attention to detail, elements that now define his work. Yuta continued his studies in London at Camberwell College of Arts and it was here that he honed his expertise in making perfectly formed, small wheel-thrown pots. These petite pieces received significant acclaim, and on their first reveal at the prestigious fair Ceramic Art London, Yuta sold his entire stock of 500 vases.

In 2018 Yuta founded SGW Lab in Wimbledon, London in 2018 to expand his ceramic practice. Since then, the studio and the scale of his work has grown, and Yuta currently employs 5 full-time potters.  Every vase SWG Lab produces is meticulously hand-thrown in porcelain and decorated in unique combinations of colour from Yuta’s own palette of over 1,000 specially formulated glazes.

Yuta champions traditional craftsmanship and celebrates the marks that hand-crafting leave on an object. The significance of making things in the 21st century with less productive and inaccurate handwork than machines, is at the core of his work. “Handicrafts have been greatly undermined by the development of the internet, artificial intelligence and industrial evolution. I believe in the worth of human labour and craftsmanship to create beautiful possibilities.”