Jess Nicholson
Rock Table

Ceramic

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ARTIST STATEMENT

Drawing on whakapapa, geology, and the non-linear journey toward belonging - I create ceramic forms as a metaphor for the self to explore what it means to be an uri nō Kāi Tahu. I am inspired by the way our unique culture has been shaped by our southern landscape. My practice focuses on cultural and environmental sustainability - using local and recycled materials to make real and permanent the sense of comfort I find in te taiao. I reject capitalist notions of ceramic production, prioritising laborious and intimate processes to create works that explore feelings of home, connection and acceptance.