At first glance, the world of contemporary ceramics seems disorienting. Shapes and concepts seem to follow no specific pattern from one artist to another. Perhaps it is this disorientation that defines ceramics of our time, since contemporary ceramics refuses a simple explanation that would make it easy to place in a textbook with an unassuming catalogue of artworks underneath.
Instead of strict rules of an artistic movement, what looms over contemporary ceramicists is a freedom to explore and build upon tradition — a completely unrestrained realm of possibility that manifests in the creation of complex works of contemporary art that broaden the definition of ceramics as an art form.
What Is Contemporary Ceramics?
Behind every work of ceramics is a human effort and a connection to clay that resonates with audiences — a connection that is particular to every artist. Contemporary ceramic artists all approach this medium in different ways, expressing their own stories, worldviews, and experiences with blends of tradition, influence, and innovation.
Ceramics is a rich and diverse field in which both modern and contemporary practices underscore clay’s essential role as a material. Today’s artists engage with the medium in varied ways — using it to tell stories, adopting industrial techniques like mold-making and transfer-printing, and drawing on historical and popular culture to inform their work.
This renewed interest in ceramics comes as a reaction to the acceleration of daily life, driven by fast-paced consumption and technological advances that pile on top of one another. Ceramics offers, in this confusing and rapid environment of development, a return to more personal and singular experiences that are unique to every work of art.
At the frontline of contemporary ceramics exists a conversation between craft and art. What was generally thought to be a practice that produced practical, ordinary items has now transformed with the way artists are using clay to reflect their own artistic vision.
The three-dimensionality of ceramics allows for a consideration of not only function, but also space; the addition of touch to the sensations that are associated with the experience of art — the marks left by hands in a direct, tactile exchange with the medium itself.
Contemporary Ceramics: Mapping a Global Practice
While contemporary ceramics is primarily driven by specific artistic vision, there are some geographical trends that can be followed by examining various countries’ approaches to ceramics.
Contemporary Japanese ceramics, for example, takes inspiration from traditions such as forms from the Japanese tea ceremony Chanyou, and techniques such as the process of repairing breaks with gilt lacquer, called kintsugi.
Contemporary American ceramics is inspired heavily by the history of ceramics in California, which has been one of the most productive areas in terms of ceramic art. Currently, contemporary American artists are experimenting with the medium of clay through carving, recurrent burning, and creative glazing that makes allusions to the environment, digital media, race, and the body.
Contemporary Korean ceramics actually began as an attempt to preserve historical traditions. However, the practice quickly evolved to create visually inventive and conceptually captivating pieces that appeal to a global audience. This referral to tradition includes the use of the Korean stoneware Buncheong, in innovative physical forms.
French contemporary sculpture and painting have a big influence on ceramics today. While French ceramics has a long history of interaction with different art movements such as Art Nouveau or Symbolism, contemporary French ceramics goes beyond sticking to a specific movement and is shaped primarily by artistic vision.
Contemporary British ceramics is characterized by its relationship to other cultures, especially due to the diversity of artists in this space who harmonize British history with traditional practices and forms from other countries. Prioritizing risk-taking and experimentation, contemporary British artists provide unique insights into the ways in which clay can communicate different geographical practices.
Five Prominent Contemporary Ceramics Artists
Eric Astoul (French, born 1954)
After his travels through France, England, Japan, and Africa, Eric Astoul settled in the French ceramicists’ community of La Borne, building his “Anagama” kiln there. Astoul is influenced by both ancient and modern works of ceramics and fires each of his pieces for eight days in the wood-burning Anagama kiln.
The artist explores the way fire interacts with clay through form and mineralization, and works with blocks of clay to create intricate shapes that explore the relationship between texture and space. His works range from vases to curious sculptures, challenging the traditions of La Borne and his own history of art.
Ruby Neri (American, born 1970)
Ruby Neri’s work is inspired by 20th-century West Coast traditions, focusing particularly on the female body. Her ceramic sculptures, in her words, are meant to evoke “struggle, peace and happiness,” drawing upon her own experience with her body.
Neri’s technique is outside tradition, and her pieces reflect a conversation between desire and repulsion. Her works recall both ancient depictions of the female body and the ’80s Riot grrrl perception of femininity. Neri’s sculptures are intimate both physically and psychologically.
Takuro Kuwata (Japanese, born 1981)
Japanese artist Takuro Kuwata combines traditional Japanese ceramics with an inventive vision that is exhibited in unusual techniques like mixing stones into his clay mixture or using needles to catch the glaze. This adds an element of chance to each of his pieces.
Kuwata is also interested in Chanyou, the Japanese tea ceremony. While following the traditions of Chanyou, Kuwata also expands upon the tradition of kintsugi, the process of repairing breaks with gilt lacquer, heightening and exaggerating tradition into abstract and contemporary pieces.
Lee Kang-hyo (Korean, born 1961)
Working closely with the spatial dynamics of ceramics, Lee Kang-hyo’s works transform the traditional form of Korean stoneware Buncheong into a performance that is in conversation with Korean landscapes. Inspired by nature and the changing of seasons, Lee Kang-hyo uses clay to explore the present and the presence of art.
Combining rough strokes and fine brushing, his works invoke a spontaneity that can be found by experiencing and encountering nature. Engaging audiences visually and conceptually, Lee Kang-hyo makes the viewer a part of the art piece, using space and absence to contrast the presence of both the artwork and the audience.
Magdalene Odundo (Kenyan-British, born 1950)
Born in Kenya and initially a graphic artist, Magdalene Odundo’s ceramics are influenced by a variety of sources, ranging from ceremonial vessels from Kenya and Nigeria to modernist sculpture. Her works invoke the human body from its essential shapes, referencing ancient cultures in a contemporary style.
Odundo’s art references the female body in a state of movement and dance, crafted through an amalgamation of techniques from various traditions that result in a unique art style that belongs singularly to her. Her pieces are a conversation between earth, clay, the human body, and vessels.
Recent Inspiring Showcases of Contemporary Ceramics
Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art at Hayward Gallery
In 2022, Hayward Gallery held an exhibition that consisted of works by 23 international artists entitled Strange Clay, showcasing a wide variety of ceramic art pieces that exemplify the reach of contemporary ceramics. Strange Clay argues that “the artists in the exhibition share a passion for the intensely tactile, physical processes of shaping and working with clay” and offers insight into the artists’ innovative ways of interacting with the medium. The exhibition included names such as Salvatore Arancio, Serena Korda, David Zink Yi, Shahpour Pouyan, and Leilah Babirye.
Clay Echoes: Unearthing Hidden Narratives at Museum of Prehistoric Thera & Akrotiri Archaeological Site
In 2024, Santorini held the inaugural Biennale of Contemporary Keramics, where artists were inspired by the archaeological site of Akrotiri. The BCK welcomed 20 artists who investigated the connection between traditional Greek ceramics and their own modern ideas, producing a range of innovative works that imaginatively allude to the past. The 2024 biennale included names such as Stella Baraklianou, Yena Young Right, Christos Tsoublekas, Yoav Reches, and Ion Fukazawa. The BCK will be held again in 2026, covering a different location in Greece — this time, the island of Rhodes. Called Where the Day Starts, the 2026 biennale will focus on themes of exchange, interaction, and migration.
2024 Taiwan Ceramics Biennale at the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum
The Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, which consists of a competition as well as educational and promotional activities, was held at the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum from autumn 2024 to spring 2025. The first Taiwan Ceramics Biennale was held in 2004, and the 2024 event received 1,216 applications from 66 countries. The Biennale is a collection of works by contemporary ceramics artists and displays a wide range of techniques and visions, inviting an exploration of current trends in ceramics. The 2024 winners included Sato Masayuki, Kwon Jin-hee, Huang Jing, Yulia Batirova, and Marat Mukhametov.
The Future of Ceramics: 3D and AI
An emerging technological technique that might shape the future of ceramics is 3D printing, in which clay is used within the printing machine to create unique artworks. The printing machine can be considered a tool just like a kiln, and many contemporary artists have incorporated this technology into their process of creating art.
Names that have delved into 3D clay printing include Taekyeom Lee, Hendrien Horn, Tom Lauerman, Marlieke Wijnakker, and Ryan Barrett.
While 3D printing might be controversial in traditional art spaces, a much more controversial technique is the inclusion of AI in the process of making ceramics. AI can also be used as a tool to inspire artists in terms of form, glazing, prints, and how the eventual artwork might end up looking.
Like with any other medium, AI in ceramics raises questions of sustainability and the relationship between the artist and the artwork. The future of ceramics could include AI, though conversations usually place it in the role of a tool rather than the artist.
