Panel Talk Lumps and Bumps: Radical Ceramics

‘Humour is critical to staying sane,’ says Lumplandia artist Becky Richards, and indeed, humour is a key component of Lumplandia. In ceramic sculptures both large and tiny, this exhibition showcases Richards’ skill and quirkiness, displaying a landscape of otherworldly forms. Join Richards, along with Oliver Cain and Nicole Gaston, in this panel discussion about the way these ceramicists infuse their work with the surprising and the subversive.

Becky Richards (1988) is an artist, writer and educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is the Founder and Director of MUD Studios, the editor of Ceramics New Zealand magazine and has an MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts (2019).

Oliver Cain is an English born/New Zealand Artist. His work changes, develops and covers a wide range of topics and materials. Cain’s work is diverse and can be made of anything and take any form. His artworks, crafted objects, sculptures, and installations, bear a certain physicality and push the boundaries between conceptualism and post-pop art.

Dr. Nicole Gaston is an artist and librarian (b. Chicago, USA) currently residing and creating in Pōneke, Aotearoa. With a diverse background in activism, arts leadership and academia, Gaston brings a unique perspective to her artistic practice. As the Chairperson for Ceramics New Zealand, the Library & Research Manager at Te Kura o Toi Whakaari, and a trustee of the Sound & Light Exploration Society, Gaston is involved in multiple aspects of the arts community, contributing at a national level in visual and performing arts sectors.