Stephanie Quayle, the artist featured in the highly successful third installment of "Art Up," which ran for five weeks and concluded on Tuesday, May 14th, is currently holding her first solo exhibition in Japan in two years, "Bear Nature," at Gallery 38 in Jingumae, Tokyo. The artist, originally from the Isle of Man in the UK, creates vibrant animal sculptures inspired by nature. The artist herself spoke about the thoughts behind this exhibition and her works.

An artist who loves nature and actually aspired to be an architect.

Stephanie Couell graduated at the top of her class from the Slade School of Fine Art's Sculpture Department, one of the UK's leading art universities. She also completed her Master's degree in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art and continues to create art in her studio on the Isle of Man, her birthplace, and in London. This up-and-coming artist, who gained sudden attention in Japan for her white elephant sculpture displayed on the first floor of Dover Street Market Ginza, is currently holding a solo exhibition titled "Bear Nature" until June 15th (Saturday).

As the name suggests, this solo exhibition features life-sized bears as its main subject. What did Stephanie Quayle want to express, and what message did she want to convey to us? We spoke to Stephanie Quayle herself to find out.

—What was your childhood like, and what did you want to be when you grew up?

"I was very lucky to have grown up as a farmer's daughter. I played by building hideouts in the barn, catching kittens, and making mud pies. I decided to become an artist because I realized I couldn't be an architect. I took a wonderful foundational art class at the University of Man, fell in love with sculpture, and have been creating ever since. I didn't plan to become an artist."

—Why did you choose animals as your subject matter?

"Animals are the very reason I create art. The desire to embody what animals should be like is what makes me pick up clay and drives me to create. I feel that the human condition can only be felt more realistically when we experience and realize that we ourselves are animals."



—Could you tell us why you are so committed to creating life-sized works?


"I believe that a work of art is completed by the viewer. Because it's a life-size piece, the physical sensations of your hands, feet, knees, elbows, etc., can capture the true feeling of the marks expressed in the clay. When you look at the work, you should be able to feel the sensations that accompanied its creation."

—What is your source of inspiration?

"Life itself. It's about grappling with the question of what it means to be human. It's about evoking the presence of animals. And trying to feel like a bear, a cow, or a crow. I love the primitive naturalness of clay. It's born from the earth, it's incredibly flexible, yet it can be made to any strength. And yet it has a definite weight, and you can bend, stretch, and tear it. It's a mystical process, almost like firing the earth itself in a kiln, and it makes me feel like I'm reconnecting with things I've lost before."

--Could you tell us about the process of creating your work?

"Usually, I start with a sketch. I sketch frantically, so fast that my mind can barely keep up. I try to start working with clay before the freshness of the movement and features is lost. The very act of trying to shape an 'animal' out of natural clay is already a kind of 'madness,' and the creative process itself is almost like a work of art. When I feel something resonating, I make sure to stop before I overdo it and ruin it. Most of my works that are fired in a kiln are hollow, but works like this bear, which are made from raw clay, are created by applying tons of clay to a steel frame."

Simple and fundamental life on the Isle of Man

—What is the Isle of Man like, your hometown where you still live?

"The Isle of Man, also known as Eran Vanin, is a tiny jewel in the Irish Sea. It measures only about 30 miles from north to south and 10 miles from east to west, with a population of approximately 85,000. Traditional and Celtic cultures, and the Gaelic language, are deeply rooted there. There's something special about the island: its magnificent nature and its connections, its unpredictable weather, and its independent spirit. From the summit of Snæfell Mountain, you can see England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. If it's not foggy, you might even be able to see the statue of Manannan mac Lir (a legendary Irish figure)."

—Why do you continue your activities on the Isle of Man?

"My husband Darren and I both have an art studio on the farm, and we help our parents raise cows and sheep. We love living each day with an awareness of simple but fundamental things like animals, life, death, clay, and fertilizer."


—Could you tell us why you focused on bears for your solo exhibition?

"Bears are fascinating. They are the ultimate wild animals for us, solitary, mysterious, and living within a natural cycle of hibernation for months and rebirth every spring. They have occupied our collective consciousness for thousands of years. The Ainu people have lived in harmony with bears, worshipping and respecting these intelligent creatures that seem to reflect ourselves. It is fascinating to learn about ancient civilizations like theirs. Bears somehow feel very familiar through stories and children's literature, yet we rarely actually encounter them. Zoo scenes are always inaccurate, but they also offer a glimpse into the world we belong to."

Dreams and a sense of mission as an artist

—What do you hope people will feel through your work?

"I am always amazed by the reactions of people who discover through my work how much clay can embody animals and evoke emotions. They talk more about ourselves and the state of humanity than about the artwork itself. I want people to feel their own animality and to realize that they are part of a larger natural cycle. I also want them to consider how humanity, as a massive population, is consuming this world at an unsustainable and unnecessary pace. We need a connection with nature to be happy, to be human. But it feels like we are severing that connection with our own hands."

—What do nature and cities mean to you? Which do you belong to?

"I'm a field mouse, not a city mouse."



—Please share any thoughts you have on the relationship between people and art in the modern age.

"I am strongly drawn to things that are made to resonate with us, things that make us want to cherish them, things that are imbued with emotion, and things that are simple, practical, and have come to be called 'art.' I love how the worlds of crafts and art work hand in hand in Japan. The appearance of animals in art has a history as long as that of humankind, and the cave paintings from 30,000 years ago seem to have resonated in the same way as they do today. I feel that I am using art to summon, celebrate, and connect with others in the same way."

—What are your goals as an artist, and what do you want to achieve?

"If I continue creating, I hope to discover new clays and push the limits of firing temperatures in the kiln. I hope that by any means, I can evoke an inner response, awaken our own animality, and remind us that we belong to this beautiful planet, not just to computer monitors or credit cards. We need to change our greedy consumerism more fundamentally, right now, from a deeper level, involving governments and big corporations. We have already devastated the planet and caused the extinction of 60% of wildlife. From now on, we must protect the ecosystems we still have, from dung beetles to large animals. It is not realistic to expect this from clay. But as artists, farmers, and parents, we want to make small changes, one step at a time. Change is in progress, and everyone has the power to act."

Photo: Shunsuke Shiga
Text: Junya Hasegawa (america)


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