coz. Otake Cozue　
大竹こずえ

From a heart that fits in the palm of one’s hand, made of small pieces of fabric that are carefully stitched together, to curious-looking animals that seem to have stepped out of the world of mythology. Then there are ceramic vessels of plain simplistic forms that permeate with an air of serenity and sophistication. These works, which at first glance appear to have nothing in common, are all created by Otake Cozue, who works under the name coz. From a young age, Otake was the kind of child who made her own dolls and stuffed toys. After entering university, she continued to work mainly with fabric to create art pieces, and following her marriage and the birth of her child, she has made everything from children's clothes to toys by hand. Due to her long experience of engaging with fabric as a material, and thus being confident that the everything will ultimately take shape even when working freely with her hands, Otake produces her work without necessarily having a fixed image of the completed work in mind. On the other hand, when producing ceramics, she meticulously plans the shapes and colors in advance while considering the food that they will be used to serve, as well as issues of usability and versatility. What serves as a key element of her practice is exploring the beauty of form in controlling and restricting the materials that she employs. Fabric and clay are at odds with one another in terms of both her attitude towards these materials and the production process that she employs. Traversing back and forth between these two genres, coz’s works remind us of the multifacetedness and ambivalence of human nature. Essentially, human emotions and personalities are not all that simple.

When in high school, Otake had the opportunity to encounter works of Czech animation represented by the likes of Jan Švankmajer and the Brothers Quay. The dark and mysterious world of fantasy that unfolded in their works, while shocking, had instantly captivated her, instilling her with the desire that such was the kind of thing she wished to create. Herein lies the origin of Otake’s endearing yet slightly peculiar works. ‘Dolls’ themselves have a history of being used by people in various ways since ancient times, such as in witchcraft, festivals, and religious rituals, and she creates her works while being aware of the meaning and significance of such things. For instance, the fabric that she uses is boiled in red wine, tea, or wormwood before being molded into shape to make the colors more consistent and to give it a slightly old-fashioned look. Wormwood is said to ward off evil spirits, while red wine is used as a substitute for blood in sacrificial rights of passage. In this respect, the process of making the work, with its story and narrative, in itself constitutes part of the work. Furthermore, Otake is particularly interested in the heart and brain and the relationship between the two, which she continues to explore as motifs in her work.

Otake has two daughters. When her daughters were young, she was their personal artist, so to speak, creating on the spot what they enjoyed or wanted. She improvised and made anything she could out of fabric, from dolls, toys for playing house, make-up sets, clothes, and more. While she of course wished to please her children, she also wanted to show them the process of making something from scratch and using it. Otake herself grew up watching her artist father paint oil paintings in the living room of their family home. She mentions that when she thought about what kind of mother figure she could present to her children, the only thing she could think of was to make things. The drive to create, which until now has been inspired by and directed towards her children, turns again to Otake herself, encouraging her to contemplate who she is and the kind of world that she is fond of. Otake, who now explores her creative practice in a more introspective manner, expresses her newfound desire to try working with more various kinds of materials. Although she now has fewer opportunities to make things for her children, she is still often inspired by their earnestness and efforts. The creativity and craftsmanship that has been nurtured between a parent her children will no doubt continue to further evolve and change as the children grow older.