Statement:

Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art the first large-scale group exhibition in the UK to explore how contemporary artists have used the medium of clay in inventive ways (26 October 2022 – 8 January 2023)

Curated by Dr Cliff Lauson , Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art features 23 international and multi-generational artists, from ceramic legends Betty Woodman, Beate Kuhn, Ron Nagle and Ken Price, to a new generation of artists pushing the boundaries of ceramics today, the exhibition will explore the expansive potential of clay through a variety of playful as well as socially-engaged artworks. Eccentric abstract sculptures, large immersive installations, fantastical otherworldly figures and uncanny evocations of everyday objects. The artworks vary in scale, finish and technique, and address topics that range from architecture to social justice, the body, the domestic, the political and the organic. Regardless of background or route into the material, all of the artists in the exhibition celebrate the sheer possibility and versatility of clay.