Clay Kin

Tiarnie Edwards, Yaritji Heffernan, Jennifer Ingkatji, Josina Nyarpingku Pumani, Debra Umala, LeShaye Swan, Tjimpuna Williams

Clay Kin brings together seven dynamic artists in a landmark collaboration between the APY Art Centre Collective (APYACC) and Craft. This exhibition celebrates the expansion of APYACC artists into contemporary ceramics, offering Melbourne audiences a rare glimpse into the evolving material practices of First Nations makers.

Senior artist and cultural leader, Yaritji Heffernan (Pitjantjatjara) draws on her deep connection to Country, translating the sacred rock holes (kapi tjukula) of the APY Lands into sculptural forms that echo her acclaimed painting practice. Tjimpuna Williams with over two decades of ceramic practice, brings her signature walka (designs) inspired by tali (sand dunes) and tjukula, honed at Ernabella Arts and now continued at APYACC.

Emerging artist Tiarnie Edwards (Ngarrindjeri) infuses their illustrative storytelling into ceramics, blending drawing, printmaking and clay to explore identity and the lived experiences of young First Nations people today. LeShaye Swan (Yankunytjatjara), raised in Mimili by her grandmother Sandra Pumani, began working in clay in 2024 and was recently awarded a judges commendation at the 2025 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize for her evocative ceramic work. LeShaye’s colourful ceramic vessels are decorated with plants native to Bucket Well, a homeland not far from Mimili community where she grew up.

Josina Pumani (Pitjantjatjara), granddaughter of Anangu Elders Shannon Kantji and Ngupulya Pumani, began her ceramics journey in 2024. Her works narrate the Maralinga story, reflecting on the impact of British nuclear testing on her community. Jennifer Ingkatji (Pitjantjatjara), relocated with her sister Nyunmiti Burton from Amata community to Adelaide in 2019 for health reasons, and has since been a daily presence at the Collective Art Centre, creating works that reflect on ancestral knowledge and the importance of looking after country.

Clay Kin is a testament to the strength of kinship, culture and creative innovation. It marks a significant moment in contemporary Australian ceramics, where ancestral knowledge meets new forms, and where clay becomes a vessel for both tradition and transformation.

Artists in this exhibition represent many communities and art centres which are at the heart of the APY Lands. These include Ninuku Arts, Tjala Arts, Umoona Arts and APYACC’s Adelaide studio. Founded in 2017, the APY Art Centre Collective is an initiative that provides support, resources, and opportunities for First Nations artists from the APY Lands and beyond. Through exhibitions, workshops, and cultural exchanges, the collective aims to promote Indigenous voices, foster cross-cultural understanding, and generate economic opportunities for Aboriginal communities.