Here is my story

Hello, I’m Yasi. My journey with clay began in the quiet corners of childhood, shaped by the ancient curves of moon jars that once held my grandmother’s rice wine. Those vessels, steeped in memory and ritual, whispered stories of lineage and love, and in their presence, I found my first teachers.

Since then, clay has led me across continents. From the mist-veiled studios of Dublin to the fiery kilns and perfection of Osaka, the vibrant streets of Delhi and Bangalore, the quiet precision of Singapore, the sunlit spaces of California, and the raw, grounding energy of Christchurch, each place has left its rhythm in my hands, shaping not only my craft, but my voice.

In 2015, I rooted myself in Aotearoa. Here, I began weaving my heritage into form, melding ancestral echoes with quiet, contemporary restraint. I built my studio from the ground up in Christchurch and shared my practice through teaching, nurturing others as clay once nurtured me. My studio was once called Botpots Christchurch/Pottery Capital. By November 2024, I handed that space over to a former student and his mother, turning toward a new beginning.

Now, nestled in the alpine stillness of St. Arnaud, I begin again. A new chapter unfolds: one of mountain light, deep silence, and clay, specifically terracotta, always been terracotta, telling stories that are both old and becoming.