Rich Miller on Strange Clay at Hayward Gallery
‘The wonderful thing about clay is that it’s been used by humans for thousands of years. It surrounds us in our everyday lives’.
Rich Miller is a ceramicist with a real passion for clay. His own creative work draws on British colonialism, and the eclectic styles and influences which this has brought to modern day Britain. He will also be familiar to many people across the country as a judge on the television show, ‘The Great Pottery Throwdown’.
In this video, we join Miller for a personal tour through the current Hayward Gallery exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art, which showcases 23 international artists who are using clay in very different ways.
Miller draws us to the works of four of the exhibition’s artists in particular; the remarkable scale of Takuro Kuwata’s monoliths; the dexterity and diverse influences on Shahpour Pouyan’s sculptures; the delicate detail of the hundreds of porcelain objects presented by Liu Jianhua; and the mystical land created by Klara Kristalova.
‘What this exhibition proves is that clay can act as a wonderful vehicle for expression for so many makers. It can be manipulated and used in so many different ways, but its human qualities are what really shine through.’
Enjoyed this video? Watch more artist insights into the works of Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art.
From internationally acclaimed artists at Hayward Gallery, to pop-up installations, enjoy an inspiring array of art and exhibitions with us.