http://www.michaelreidclay.com.au/

Michael Reid Clay, 2/358 Barrenjoey Road, Sydney (2026)

16/05/2025

Angela Hayes | Light Colour Landscape | Until 18 May | Michael Reid Southern Highlands

Angela Hayes' sublime ceramic works continue to captivate audiences this week in 'Light Colour Landscape' at Michael Reid Southern Highlands. The esteemed ceramicist offers a suite of evocative ceramic sculptures that transcend traditional vessels, transforming functional forms into bold sculptural statements. Working from her inner-city studio, Hayes draws on the energy of the urban landscape to create works that balance innovation with timeless craftsmanship, continually pushing the boundaries of contemporary ceramic art.

Poised at the intersection of sculpture, design, and landscape, her clay designs draw inspiration from the geometry and texture of inner-city architecture, as Hayes sculpts architectonic vessels whose sharp forms echo the city’s linear order. In contrast, her expressive glazes evoke fleeting, atmospheric moments – light piercing through fog, moths brushing against stone, or shadows drifting across bluestone lanes. These subtle encounters serve as metaphors for resilience and beauty within the overlooked spaces of everyday life, where the organic quietly asserts its presence against the imposed.

Hayes’ practice is grounded in both fine arts and landscape architecture, disciplines that shape her formal language and conceptual clarity. Beginning with studies of the classic pouring vessel, her practice has evolved from wheel-thrown pieces to architetonic, slab-built forms that reimagine shape and form. In ‘Light Colour Landscape’, Hayes’ ceramic sculptures become meditative objects that reflect the rhythms of a world in flux, echoing the larger themes of the exhibition: light, colour, and the ever-shifting contours of the Australian landscape.

For any enquiries, please email [email protected]

02/12/2024

NOW OPEN: FLISS DODD | ‘Reverence to the Bull’ | Until 21 December | Michael Reid Sydney

The first solo exhibition at our flagship Eora/Sydney gallery for one of the most beloved of our Clay program's regular stars, ‘Reverence to the Bull’ by FLISS DODD brings together a spectacular procession of rhythmic, richly detailed and fabulously charismatic clay sculptures.

This dazzling new series arrives after a slew of successful shows across the congregation of galleries that make up Michael Reid. The artist has matched her move into our Eora/Sydney space with a commensurably ambitious body of work, pushing the scope of creative practice while offering a resonant expression of the singular style that has cemented her place at the forefront of the ceramics field.

Dodd’s elegantly abstracted bovines are alive with musicality and movement expressed via voluptuous curves and precise markings that undulate and flow across her work’s surface.

With ‘Reverence to the Bull’, the artist adds splashes of ultramarine and glittering gold – tones once reserved for royalty and sacred customs that now play out alongside her signature palette of earthy terracotta and monochrome clay to evoke a sense of reverence and celebration.

“I use hand-rolled slabs of clay that are bent, folded and formed to create undulating curves,” says Dodd. “The curves speak to the fluidity of movement and the strength found in balance. I carve small, meticulous marks to music, adding rhythm to the form and enhancing its beauty”.

Fascinated by the material cultures and customs of far-flung places, Dodd filters various global influences – from East Asian red thread to the bull regalia of Indian festivals – through an entirely original lens, nodding to these inspirations with bijou adornments and plinths inspired by traditional textiles.

Please the Michael Reid Sydney website to view and acquire works from the series or email [email protected]

20/11/2024

THIS WEEK: VALERIE SCHÖNJAHN | ‘Small Curiosities’ | 21 November–15 December | Michael Reid Murrurundi

For our Michael Reid Clay program’s next offering, we are excited to welcome a new collection of delightful little wonders sculpted by hand on an intimate scale by Zürich-born, Fremantle-based ceramic artist VALERIE SCHÖNJAHN.

Titled ‘Small Curiosities’, this new series reflects Schönjahn’s attention to her work’s tactile dimension and the subtle, idiosyncratic details sparked by her inquisitive and thoughtful approach to her medium.

“This series of work is a mediation on small curiosities, the inconspicuous and forgotten,” says the artist, who was recently the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Artist Award for Sculpture at Bathers, Fremantle, and won the Best Sculpture Award at the Darlington Art Walk.

“Expressed as peculiar individuals, these vessels centre around ideas of connection and belonging.”

A stylish rebuke to the conception of sculpture as monument, these playful and intricately detailed pieces instead reveal the power of the perfectly petite to pull the viewer in closer and offer small and unexpected moments of interest and delight – whether clustered on display shelves or tucked discreetly within an interior vignette alongside other bijou objects of desire and fascination.

Working in an elegant, pared-back palette of charred black clay, Schönjahn says her works were “influenced by environmental cues. Their form and texture are sculpted by hand and inspired by the natural diversity found in the South-West of Western Australia.”

Each piece from ‘Small Curiosities’ is like its own little creature, fabulously alive with writhing, organic forms.

All works from the series can be viewed and acquired online or by contacting [email protected]

31/07/2024

There is a fabulous abundance of little beauties available to explore in the online stockroom of our ceramics platform, Michael Reid Clay.

Curated by Amber Creswell Bell – author of the Australian ceramics bible, ‘Clay’ – our program celebrates the most exciting, innovative and accomplished artists working in the ceramics field.

Our Clay program is presented across three exhibition sites with the Michael Reid network with exhibitions at our Murrurundi, Northern Beaches and Southern Highlands spaces. All works are available to view and acquire online.

Please visit the Michael Reid Clay website to explore beautiful, hand-formed pieces from our collection, including ADRIENNE RICHARDS’s ‘Koala at the Mehi’, which is pictured here on Newport Beach, right outside our Northern Beaches gallery.

16/07/2024

Exquisite ceramics by ASAHI SO and SARAH MURRAY from Michael Reid Clay feature in the beautiful Sydney home of leading arts advisor, advocate and founder of Articulate agency Kym Elphinstone – just published in the new edition of Belle.

Asahi’s ‘Salvia Budvase 5’ and Sarah’s ‘Pour’ are both displayed on the mantelpiece in the home’s main bedroom, featured in a seven-page story shot by Dave Wheeler and styled by Jack Milenkovic of Atelier Lab for Belle's August/September issue.

We were thrilled to see ceramic pieces from our Clay artists alongside work by the amazing roll call of contemporary art luminaries featured in Kym’s extraordinary collection.

Please visit Michael Reid Clay’s online stockroom via the link in our bio to explore work by Asahi So, Sarah Murray and all of the stars of our ceramics platform.

For more, please email [email protected]

Thank you, and .

Photography: Dave Wheeler |
Styling: Jack Milenkovic |

10/07/2024

NOW OPEN: HANA VASAK | ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ | Until 4 August | Michael Reid Murrurundi

Opening today at Michael Reid Murrurundi, ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ is an exquisite exhibition of ceramic vessels by Naarm/Melbourne-based artist HANA VASAK.

Working by hand in a gently reductionist mode and delighting in the raw materiality of clay, Vasak beautifully distils an array of art-historical influences within her elegantly pared-back pieces.

While reflecting her fascination with the ocean, her interest in Baroque art and Greek mythology, and her affinity for the classical forms of amphorae, Vasak tempers the sumptuousness and heft of these points of reference with an understated style and quiet textural nuances.

Expressive surface variations and hand-pinched, shell-like adornments bring appealing shades of depth, humility, warmth and idiosyncrasy to clean and sinuous forms.

Inspired by diverse historical periods and memories of places she has visited, Vasak’s pieces recast classical forms in ways that elevate and enrich contemporary spaces, reawakening the past while embracing the now.

Works from Hana Vasak’s ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ can be viewed and acquired online or by contacting the gallery.

For more, please email [email protected]

01/07/2024

NEXT WEEK: HANA VASAK | ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ | 10 July–4 August | Michael Reid Murrurundi

Next week, ceramic artist HANA VASAK will return to the Michael Reid Clay program with her latest solo show, ‘Reimagining, Remaking’, which opens online and at our Murrurundi gallery on Wednesday, 10 July.

This beautiful new series presents an elegant synthesis of the Naarm/Melbourne-based artist’s varied influences, drawing on her endless fascination with the ocean, Greek mythology and the classical forms of the amphora, as well as her interest in Baroque art.

These points of reference all embrace tones and visual styles that are sensuously rich and ornate in nature, which the artist tempers through her gentle reworkings and gracefully subdued, reductionist mode.

Working with clay in its natural state results in a beautiful and diverse expression of texture throughout this new series, which builds on her previous work’s quietly sublime, delicately resolved reimaginings of ceramic forms from antiquity.

Inspired by diverse historical periods and memories of places she has visited, Vasak’s pieces are reimagined and remade for a contemporary context, reawakening the past while embracing the present.

Works from ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ by Hana Vasak can now be viewed and acquired by request.

For more, please email [email protected]

27/06/2024

NOW OPEN: EOFY EDIT | Until 7 July | Michael Reid Northern Beaches

Launching today online and in the gallery, our End of Financial Year Edit presents a specially curated collection of beautiful, original, affordable art to suit every style and space.

If you have been thinking about acquiring a work of art for your interior, this limited-time offer is the perfect opportunity. Open until 7 July, the exhibition sees our expert curators act as your personal art shopper, assembling a diverse array of exquisite, unique and collectable paintings and ceramic pieces.

From boldly expressive works of abstraction to elegant still-life paintings and hand-formed clay vessels, our EOFY Edit is an unmissable chance to acquire affordable works by some of Australia’s brightest art stars – all selected for our gallery program by leading curator and author Amber Creswell Bell.

Introducing fabulous layers of colour and texture to their surroundings, each artwork has been judiciously chosen not just for its inherent beauty and collectability but for the way it will assuredly elevate and enliven any interior scheme, introducing an appealing sense of pace, panache and a point of focus to delight and dazzle the eye.

Michael Reid Northern Beaches offers free, unlimited parking for all gallery visitors, and all works featured in our EOFY Edit are also available to shop online.

For enquiries, please email [email protected]

26/06/2024

COMING SOON: HANA VASAK | ‘Reimagining, Remaking’ | 10 July–4 August | Michael Reid Murrurundi

Michael Reid Clay is thrilled to welcome ceramic artist HANA VASAK back to our program with her new exhibition, ‘Reimagining, Remaking’, which is launching soon at Michael Reid Murrurundi and online.

‘Reimagining, Remaking’ is a collection of pieces grounded in the Naarm/Mebourne-based artist’s lived experience. It melds her endless fascination with the ocean, Greek mythology and the classical forms of the amphora, with added inspiration drawn from Baroque art.

These points of reference all embrace tones and visual styles that are sensuously rich and ornate in nature, which the artist tempers through her gentle reworkings and elegantly subdued, reductionist mode to fashion her quietly sublime pieces.

Experimenting with clay in its natural state results in a beautiful and diverse expression of texture. This series is a continuation of a body of work embedded in the artist’s love of reimagined ceramic forms.

Inspired by diverse historical periods and merged with memories of places visited, Vasak’s pieces are reimagined and remade for a contemporary context, reawakening the past and embracing the present all at once.

Works from the series can now be viewed and acquired by request before the official opening next month.

To request a preview catalogue and discuss acquisitions, please email [email protected]

24/06/2024

NEAP 2024 | Prize Announcement: Morgans Financial Prize for Emerging Ceramicists

We are pleased to reveal the amazing prize pool that will be awarded to this year’s Overall Winner of the Morgans Financial Prize for Emerging Ceramicists. The recipient of NEAP’s top ceramics prize will receive:

• An acquisitive cash prize of $5000 – donated by our major sponsor, Morgans Financial Limited.

• A solo exhibition with Michael Reid Clay at Michael Reid Northern Beaches.

• x2 one-hour mentoring sessions with Michael Reid OAM, gallery director Toby Meagher and curator Amber Creswell Bell.

• A one-year membership to The Australian Ceramics Association (TACA).

• A one-year subscription to The Journal of Australian Ceramics, courtesy of TACA.

• Professional photographic documentation of the exhibition.

Plus all finalists in the Morgans Financial Prize for Emerging Ceramicists will be invited to present their shortlisted work in the NEAP exhibition, where it will be available for the public to view and acquire.

Please visit our website via the link in our bio to view all prizes along with this year’s application forms, entry details and our Frequently Asked Questions page.

NEAP submissions close on Sunday, 1 September. For more, please email [email protected]
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11/06/2024

ON VIEW: JENNIFER OH | ‘Tow the Line’ | Until 16 June | Michael Reid Murrurundi

Continuing this weekend at Michael Reid Murrurundi, ‘Tow the Line’ is an exciting new exhibition of boldly original works by rising ceramic art star JENNIFER OH.

This dazzling and dynamic show brings together an array of talismanic, torus-shaped sculptures and eye-catching geometric vessels adorned with striking and ultra-stylish graphic motifs.

Born in the Philippines, raised in Australia and now based between Rome and Sydney following a period spent in London, Oh’s practice is informed by her globetrotting background and the various built environments she has encountered across different states and hemispheres.

The artist’s solo outing follows her successful showing in the group exhibition ‘Pour’, which was staged last year at our Northern Beaches gallery and specially curated by Vicki Grima.

Threading through her ‘Tow the Line’ series, the artist’s zigzagging patterns recall motifs from various sources, including 1960s Op Art, 1980s Memphis Design, nautical fashions and the razzle-dazzle camouflage of World War I battleships.

“The series references the initial nautical inspiration for the works, taken from the dazzle ships that first appeared in WWI,” says the artist. “Stripes as a motif, with their medieval connotations of deviance, have taken a journey towards more ambiguous realms that perhaps these days conjure up sartorial playfulness or seaside gaiety.”

Each piece invites an appealing interplay between its organic sculptural outlines and the graphic angularity of its surface patterns. Visit our website via the link in our bio to explore and acquire works from ‘Tow the Line’.

For more, please email [email protected]

07/06/2024

NEXT WEEK: CATHY McMICHAEL | ‘Shelf Life’ | 12–30 June | Michael Reid Murrurundi

The latest addition to our Clay program at Michael Reid Murrurundi, ‘Shelf Life’ by CATHY McMICHAEL opens at Michael Reid Murrurundi next week.

Following McMichael’s beautiful showing in last year’s group exhibition ‘Pour’ – curated by Vicki Grima at Michael Reid Northern Beaches – the celebrated ceramic artist is back with an exquisite new collection of vessels that pay tribute to the perfect beauty of timeworn imperfection.

Through a skilful and unique approach to ceramics, McMichael beautifully evokes the nuanced textures of aged and corroded surfaces with gently worn, variegated patinas that emote elegance, gravitas and grace.

Experimenting with oxidation and patination in her glazes, the artist’s work sees shadows of dark clays emerge through tumbled, tarnished, rough-hewn finishes in deep olive greens, mottled mustard, glossy jade and rust. The result is a fabulous interplay between her modern sensibilities and an eye for the earthy romanticism and historical heft of classical artefacts weathered yet enriched by time’s passing.

To register interest and receive a preview of works by Cathy McMichael, please email [email protected]

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