Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize 2021 Finalists

Entries for the Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize closed November last year, and Shelley was thrilled by the calibre, spirit and creativity of all the applicants –and so incredibly grateful for the response to her debut prize.

After much deliberation Mud Australia is thrilled to announce the SSCP finalists, representing a rich and diverse new generation of ceramicists in Australia. The recipient of the $10,000 prize will be announced in the first week of February, 2021.

Isobel Carver, RMIT University

“Times Goes By uses clay as a material vessel to convey the notion of time. It is representative of time through how long it took to make the forms, the use of time to control thickness in slip casting, and the slowed controlled time of the clay particles compressing as the forms dried.” — Isobel Carver.

View more of Isobel Carver’s work here.

Edward Rossi, RMIT University

“Ever since the first mugs I threw in 2016, I couldn’t quite pin it down at the time, but wine just tasted better drinking out of them. This was an insight I stowed away with the intention to one day explore this theme by designing a ceramic wine set that doesn’t look out of place in a formal dining setting.” — Edward Rossi.

View more of Edward Rossi’s work here.

Elaine Hye Ryung Kim, University of New South Wales

“Moon Jar best represents the beauty of Asia. I made pottery using Asian traditional paper and Australian clay, which shows a more explicitly visual “hybridity” of both cultures.” — Elaine Hye Ryung Kim.

View more of Elaine Hye Ryung Kim’s work here.

Holly Phillipson, Adelaide College of Arts

“My Smokestack Tea Set emerged from an obsession with cone-shaped objects and shino glazes, as well as a new-found appreciation of human connection post-lockdown.” — Holly Phillipson.

View more of Holly Phillipson’s work here.

Lauren Covey, University of Southern Queensland

“My idea for the work Skinned primarily stems from difficult experiences with my health. In this work I have combined forms inspired by the body with elements of predatory animals in order to externalise my own fears surrounding death and illness.” — Lauren Covey.

View more of Lauren Covey’s work here.

Sydelle Mullen, University of South Australia

“These vessels all embody the female entities of the Mother, Maiden and the Crone which are personifications of the moon phases and together have been named the triple goddess. The clay used is unfiltered terracotta fired at 1150 to give the forms a deep red colour that is synonymous to the red earth of Australia, the clay brand is Bennetts which is sourced locally in SA.”— Sydelle Mullen.

View more of Sydelle Mullen’s work here.

Riti Malik, Hornsby TAFE

“To me, Ether (Akasha/Space) represents a powerful idea of blending two extremes. Tactile and sensory, the permanent and the ephemeral, strength and fragility.” — Riti Malik.

View more of Riti Malik’s work here.

Prizes

First Prize
$10,000

Second Prize
$2,000

Third Prize
$1,000

All prize winners will be offered a 3 month paid internship with Mud Australia’s Production to complete in 2021.