Clayful

Clayful is an exhibition that brings together Australian and international artists who make miniature works from clay, often measuring no taller than a few centimetres. These miniscule works can only hold a small sprig of tiny flowers at most, but they contain all the precision of their full-size counterparts. With precise craftsmanship, these artists transform clay into joyful interpretations of classic forms and techniques, shrunk down to fit in the palm of your hand.

This exhibition is curated by Sophia Cai to coincide with the global launch of the book of the same name. The book is published by Smith Street Books, and showcases the works of 32 artists from all around the world. Many of the artists showing here are exhibiting in Australia for the first time.

Artists

Annabel Le, Bx Woo (Wode Ceramics), Claire Pareroultja (Hermannsburg Potters), Eleonor Boström, Fung Wing Yan (Fungtaitau), Grace Brown (Oh Hey Grace), Hamish Bassett (Tiny Pots Melbourne), Hannah Billingham, Hui-Yong Ford (Galaxy Clay), Hye Youn Shin (illy’s wall), Jin Seom Kim (KIDO), Kaley Flowers, Kate Schroeder, Keiko Matsui, Lucile Sciallano (Alterfact), Mayra Luna (Salvi), Milo Hachim, Mizuki Tanaka (Tenko), Pottery Cucumber, Ros Lee (Polkaros), Sam Rin, and Yang Qui (Albatross Ceramics)

Curator

Sophia Cai 蔡晨昕 is a curator and writer based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. She is the current Artistic Director of Bus Projects, one of Australia’s longest running artist-run organisations, while maintaining an independent curating and writing practice. Sophia completed her Masters in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, specialising in contemporary Chinese art post 1979.

Sophia’s research interests include Asian art histories, the intersections between contemporary art and craft, and feminist curatorial methodologies and community-building as forms of political resistance. Her writing on art and culture has been widely published in international and national publications including The Guardian, Artforum, Liminal, Runway Journal, Un Extended, Peril Magazine, Journal for Australian Ceramics, Art Almanac, Artist Profile, Art Guide Australia, and Art Collector Magazine. Clayful (Smith Street Books) is her first book.