From Japan to Paris, from Paris to Gulgong — Yoshimi Futamura carries with her the memory of the earth itself. Trained in Japan and long established in Paris, she has spent decades listening to the silence of clay, shaping forms that seem to emerge from deep within the ground. Raw, monumental, and quietly powerful, her sculptures bear the marks of fire, time, and an uncompromising dialogue between East and West.
At Clay Gulgong 2026, Yoshimi Futamura invites participants into her world — a world where kneading the earth is almost a prehistoric gesture, where the kiln is both an act of surrender and of trust. Working with mixed clays, textures, and surfaces, she will share the techniques and sensibilities that define her singular practice.
PROGRAM – current as at 1/04/26 & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
As usual we have an exciting line-up of masters include including; Janet DeBoos (AUS), Hervé Rousseau (France), Cj Jilek (USA), Ruby Pilven (AUS), Monika Patuszynska (Poland), Yoshima Futamura (Japan/France), Yannick Fourbet (France/NZ), Eiair (Thailand), Eric Landon (USA/Denmark), Anne Mette Hjortshøj (Denmark), Stephen Bird (AUS), Yuliya Makliuk (Ukraine), Dale Miles (AUS), Jorgen Haarstad (Norway), and Andile & Nkuthazo Dyalvane, (South Africa) and our First Nations African guests Nkosenathi Koela, Cebolenkosi Zuma and Sisonke Papu who are all practitioners in their respective fields namely indigenous sonics, movement healing and ‘Ngoma’ breath work will be available to work with us in communion with clay.
Keith Brymer Jones is returning to Clay Gulgong once again to host our THROWDOWNUNDER challenges to be held in the beer garden of the Centennial Hotel. The first challenge kicks off on Sunday morning.
WEDNESDAY 15th APRIL
8:00pm – 9pm •Presentation by Yoshimi Futamura (Japan) at Memorial Hall
