About “BC”
Koike’s ceramic sculptures are created by mixing images from different places/periods and made as “Fictional Ancient Artifacts”. All the sculptures are titled with “BC” and six numbers. BC means Black Clay. Black clay and special black glaze used to create the sculptures effects like old Japanese tea bowls. The numbers following after BC are yymmdd, the date finished modeling. The idea came from old sculptures which have numbers written on by the finders.
About “GS”
Koike’s painting series which started in 2025 is based on a fictional myth named “Garden Song”. All the paintings are titled with “GS” and six numbers like how he tittles his ceramic sculpture. Koike’s maternal family used be in the landscaping business for generations. This has given Koike a strong interest in gardens and inspired him to create this series. Koike also says that the series was influenced by literature such as that of Garcia Marquez.