Big Ceramic Energy

From 3 August 2024

Curated from the SAM Collection, Big Ceramic Energy presents a selection of Australian, First Nations, and international contemporary artists whose creative practices push the boundaries of the ceramic medium.

The artworks featured in this exhibition are drawn from the museum's dynamic collection, which has expanded and developed through donations, bequests, select acquisitions and curatorial commissions, as well as special acquisitions from past editions of the Sidney Myer Ceramic Award and Indigenous Ceramic Award.

From eccentric forms to experimental glazes, this grouping of highly individual artworks exude a shared boldness of character, with each work expressing the artists’ unique techniques and approaches to the medium.

Through artworks from Jenny Orchard, Bankstown Koori Elders Group, Stephen Bowers, and more, Big Ceramic Energy celebrates the artists in our collection who redefine the boundaries of scale, form, and feeling.

Image: Jenny Orchard, Durian Head and Choko Nose (c. 2007), Shepparton Art Museum Collection, acquired as the winner of the 2017 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award, 2017 © Jenny Orchard. Photo: Christian Capurro.