Speakers for this event

• David Ray

  David Ray

  David's ceramics have built a reputation for being wild and flamboyant Baroque creations. Conceptually, the creations explore function and dysfunction within our consumeristic society. The handmade is an idealistic idea he holds dear within his making process. Decoration is incorporated within the body of the work; weaving, twisting and turning, with a confounding plethora of images and motifs. He believes life is a juxtaposition between the perception of the beautiful and the ugly, which creates a subjective perception towards making and looking at Art itself. David Ray retired from RMIT University in 1996 with Honours and his work is held in Australian and international collections. He has held numerous Artist in Residence placements and he lists that Liverpool (U.K.) was his most 'mind-bending'. Various publications and articles have been written about his work. He comes up when Googled! Terrible at self-promotion, David prefers making in his studio in the Yarra Valley, Victoria and continuing to exhibit within both realms of the 'Art' and 'Craft' worlds. He is a trained secondary teacher, specialising in trauma informed practice, with 15 years experience in this field. He says "time is precious, but teaching and making both provide a balance within my life". click here to go to David’s website Image: Wild (2017), handbuilt earthenware, decal, enamel gold, 48 x 40 x 36 cm Winner of the 2017 Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award Image Credit: Shannon McGrath

• Somchai Saroen

  Somchai Saroen

  Somchai Charoen is a Thai born ceramic artist based in Sydney who has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Trained in industrial ceramics design, he was a former lecturer at Silpakorn University, Thailand. Since migrating to Australia in 2002, he has worked commercially as a mould and model maker as well as established his ceramic home ware label Eat Clay. Somchai is a co-founder of Belmore ITCH, a creative for non-ceramic artists to experiment, explore and interpret the medium. Over twenty year experience in making plaster moulds for ceramics. Somchai like to challenge his skill by making mould that will explore the idea and possibilities of what mould making technique can be. For example created the plaster moulds that can be easily be used to create a number of different mould or can connected in different ways by having part that can be construction or flexible arrangement. Somchai will showcase his latest new mould making and slip casting technique by created plaster moulds that able to dip into the slip to create the forms instead of pouring slip into the plaster moulds.

• Yasmin Smith

  Yasmin Smith

  (b. 1984, Sydney and Itinerant) travels widely undertaking research for her archaeological ceramics installations that explore the chemistry of glaze techniques to furnish material evidence of histories, ecologies, geology and culture. She makes her glazes from organic and inorganic material found on site with elements of the clay body sometimes also locally excavated as part of her process. Smith’s practice straddles art (ceramics) and more scientific investigations. Smith is currently developing a site-specific work for the 21st Biennale of Sydney. Smith was a finalist in the 2017 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award exhibition at Shepparton Art Museum. Her work, Open Vase Central Leader Widow Maker, contains over 150 cast ceramic branches of three species of tree that have been glazed with their own wood ash.  In 2016, Smith developed site-specific clay and glazes and built an outdoor kiln for the inaugural, Sculpture at Barangaroo, Sydney. Contours of our heart was a two-week process based outdoor public engagement project. In 2014, Smith spent 6 weeks at Hermannsburg in Central Australia assisting the local community of potters. As a result of her time there, Smith developed Ntaria Fence for a solo exhibition at The Commercial in 2015. In 2013, Smith was shortlisted for the Fauvette Loureiro Memorial Artists’ Travel Scholarship Prize, Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney. Smith completed her Master of Visual Arts (Ceramics) at Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney in 2010. She was a director of the influential Sydney artist-run initiative, Locksmith Project from 2008 until 2010. Smith is represented by The Commercial Sydney.  Her work is in the collection of Artbank and Shepparton Art Museum. click here for more info about Yasmin Image: Open Vase Central Leader Widow Maker (2017), slip cast ceramic objects, with three types of wood ash glaze, corrugated iron, canvas tarpaulin, dimensions variable Image Credit: Elise Fredericksen