Material Matters I Ceramics

The ancient practice of working with clay spans thousands of years, and yet the versatility of the material allows contemporary artists to continue to push the boundaries and explore its rich narrative potential. Bold and dynamic, the extensive and diverse range of contemporary ceramics currently on display in our Design House and Artists House at Roche Court Sculpture Park offers a positive dialogue with both the landscape and architecture.

Nao Matsunaga
Next 2 Nothing, 2019
Glazed porcelain, wood, acrylic paint, pencil
117 x 88 x 37 cm
46 ⅛ x 34 ⅝ x 14 ⅝ in.

Working with wood, clay and other materials, Nao Matsunaga makes sculpture filled with primal spirit. His work draws on universal themes and diverse cultural reference points, which reflect his Anglo-Japanese heritage. His approach is methodical and repetitive, allowing the material to guide the process and letting elements of his subconscious shape the outcome.

Nao Matsunaga studied at the University of Brighton (1999-2012) on the Wood, Metal, Ceramic and Plastic course, and completed this MA in Ceramic and Glass at the Royal College of Art in 2007. In 2012, he won the Jerwood Makers Open, and in 2013, he was the winner of the British Ceramics Biennial Award at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent. His work can be found in public collections including Victoria and Albert Museum, London; York Museum and Art Gallery, York and Crafts Council, London. Nao Matsunaga was born in Osaka, Japan, and now lives and works in London.

Richard Deacon
Like You Know, 2002
Glazed ceramic
80 x 135 x 114 cm
31 ½ x 53 ¼ x 45 in.

All of [my ceramics] basically begin with a small lump which is pushed, pulled, squeezed, twisted, rolled, poked, carved etc… The resulting sculptures are very much unitary objects… and I find the question of their identity compelling. - Richard Deacon, 2005

The angular trapezoid form of Richard Deacon’s Like You Know urges the viewer to consider it from every angle. It is emblematic of Deacon’s masterful control of sculptural form, and his ability to push the boundaries of material capabilities.

Born in Bangor, Wales, Richard Deacon has a BA from St Martin’s School of Art, London (1972) and an MA in Environmental Media from the Royal College of Art, London (1977). He represented Wales at the Venice Biennale, Italy (2007) and has participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy (2012), Glasgow International, UK (2006) and documenta 9, Kassel, Germany (1992). In 1987, Deacon won the Turner Prize, and in 1999, was made a CBE. His ceramic work Another Kind of Blue (2010) is currently exhibited at the Sprengel Museum, Hanover, Germany, together with work by Tony Cragg and Barbara Hepworth. This show continues until May 2025.

Richard Deacon working on Like You Know, Cologne, 2002 (film stills by Niels Dietrich)

Edmund de Waal
Last Things, 2006
59 porcelain vessels, with 6 celadon glazes and 6 grey glazes, on a steel shelf
Tallest vessel: 7 ¼ in. (19.5 cm.) high
Overall: 6ft 8 ⅞ in. (180 cm.) long, including shelf

Edmund de Waal has a global reputation which spans both visual and literary disciplines. In Last Things, the undulating visual rhythm established by 59 hand crafted porcelain vessels, the colours of which span six different shades of celadon and grey glaze. In a sense, the vessels can be 'read' by the viewer, placed in a horizontal line on a dark steel plinth, like words on a page.

Edmund de Waal’s artistic and written practice has broken new ground through his critical engagement with the history and the potential of ceramics, as well as with architecture, music, philosophy and poetry. De Waal was on the Advisory Committee for the Royal Mint, and was Trustee of the V&A Museum between 2011 and 2019. In 2011, he was made an OBE, and in 2021, was appointed a CBE for his Services to the Arts.

Edmund de Waal’s current exhibition, Playing with Fire: Edmund de Waal and Axel Salto is set to go to The Hepworth Wakefield in November 2025 until May 2026.

Rupert Spira
Large Jar, 2006
Stoneware, Chun Glaze over embossed text
107 x 57 x 57 cm / 42 ⅛ x 22 ½ x 22 ½ in.

Rupert Spira, a revered English studio potter, is known for his refined practice that centres on elegant vessels, jars and poem bowls. His work is simple and strong in form, quiet and restrained in character. Spira's glazes, from matte white to vivid Chun blue, complement his mastery of sgraffito, and add a serene, meditative quality to each piece. Spira's ceramics can be found in many galleries throughout Britain including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Sainsbury Centre, as well as in a large number of private and public collections worldwide.

Rupert Spira is no longer making ceramics, focussing now on his writing and teaching in the field of non-duality and consciousness studies. As an author, his books include The Transparency of Things, Presence; Volume 1: The Art of Peace and Happiness, Presence; Volume 2: The Intimacy of all Experience; The Light of Pure Knowing and The Ashes of Love.