Ceramic Art London (April 17-19) is one of the most dynamic international showcases for contemporary ceramic art, showcasing works from the figurative to the functional. Here are ten artists to look out for
Chris Taylor
Christopher Taylor, Small Bellied Vessel with Roses, htrown brick clay decorated with coloured slips, under glaze print, lead glaze, lustre and decals, 14cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
Taylor creates objects which are rich with colour, texture and a mysterious sense of history that marry the contemporary with traditional techniques. He says: “The vessel forms appear commonplace, the surface treatment conflicts with this notion of familiarity and I use this to challenge people’s innate understanding of domestic objects.”
Annie Turner 
Annie Turner, A Turner Drift Net © Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
Annie Turner’s art is closely linked to the River Deben in Suffolk. Her sculptures explore her own rootedness and her family’s strong connections with the river over generations. They also evoke the tidal changes and seasonal rhythms that mark the progress of time.
Jin Eui Kim
Jin Eui Kim, Resonance no 5, earthenware, wheel-throwing, brushed 18 tones of engobes, applied with thin layer of matt glaze, fired at 1120, 41.3 x 7.2 cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
Jin Eui Kim’s beguiling work is about illusions. Using the application of arrangements of bands on his surfaces, he manipulates his three-dimensional forms and, depending on the arrangement, you are never quite sure whether you’re looking at a pot or a visual phenomena.
Delfina Emmanuel 
Delfina Emmanuel, Twist Vessel, semi porcelain clay, cast & hand-build, lead glaze, 17 x 9 x 9 cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London.
Delfina Emmanuel's exquisite creations are inspired by the corals, anemones and rock formations of her birth island of Sardinia. They are built up from layers of glazes and lustres in porcelain clay via a subtle combination of hand building, press moulding and slip casting.
Emily Gardiner 
Emily Gardiner, Release 002, black stoneware and solid glaze, 52 x 24 x 40 cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London.
Emily Gardiner’s strange artworks investigate the rationalisation of trauma and the co-dependency of ‘body’ and ‘self’. Exploring the relationship between glaze and clay body she allows the glaze to take on a more physical form to expose what she describes as “interesting states of tension, dependence, containment and liberation”.
Isobel Egan
Isobel Egan, Internal Spaces, hand-built porcelain grids mounted onto a bespoke painted backing piece, thirty six hand-built porcelain boxes, fired to 1250 degrees, 2014, 80 x 80 cm © Courtesy of Ceramic Art London.
Architecture, space, memory and emotion; the works of Isobel Egan explore the relationships and how they shape us. Working mainly with porcelain she investigates the material’s intrinsic characteristics - its translucence and delicate paper-like quality.
Jack Doherty
Jack Doherty, Tall Bowls, high soda fired porcelain, 2014, 7 - 18cm© Courtesy Ceramic Art London
Jack Doherty is interested in “elemental ceramic forms from history” and specialises in soda firing, experimenting with the volume of sodium vapour which drifts around the kiln chamber to draw colour and texture from the surface of the forms.
Maria Wojdat
Maria Wojdat, Untitled Group, white eathenware, engobes, 17 x 25 cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
Fascinated by functionality and ancient utensils, Maria Wojdat’s work utilises the repeated actions of the pestle and mortar. Each form is “a unique journey” which encompasses an appreciation of chance that explores the balance between spontaneity and control. Her latest work combines this organic and geometric approach with an abstract shifting of the lines, planes and colours.
Kyra Cane 
Kyra Kane, Tiny Porcelain Pots, thrown and fired to 1300, Limoges porcelain with white glaze, black stain and yellow glaze, 9cm© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
Kyra Cane’s fine bowls and vessels exploit the soft fluid qualities of porcelain and often retain the traces of hands, tools and making processes. Her glazes emphasise relationships between interior and exterior, while the marks on her evocative pots suggest landscapes.
Karin Bablok
Karin Bablock, Porcelain Vessel, thrown on the wheel, round, painted with lines, three different perspectives on the vessel© Courtesy of Ceramic Art London
German potter Karin Bablok creates single one-off pieces made from porcelain. Each is thrown extremely thin on the wheel, Her more gestural paintings, with their loosened up strokes often reminds one of trees in the snow, flying birds or fruits.
- Ceramic Art London takes places April 17-19 2015 at the Royal College of Art. See www.ceramics.org.uk for more details.
What do you think? Leave a comment below: More on Ceramic Art London:The Power of Ceramics: Jack Doherty on the fine art of pots ahead of Ceramic Art London 2015
