Sean Miller — ‘Burning Country’ Vase in Dark Blue

The "Burning Country" carved ceramic surface echoes the transformative power of the ancient practice of controlled cultural burning of Country. This vase pays homage to the wisdom of our ancestors who tended the land. Each curve tells a story of renewal and regeneration, making it not just a vessel for flowers, but a symbol of the cyclical nature of life and the enduring connection to the earth.

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Sean is a Gamilaroi man living on Wurundjeri Country. He explores his Gamilaroi heritage through ceramics, woodwork, painting, and photography. For Sean, working in clay and wood creates a tangible connection to Country, where his ancestors culturally and artistically shaped the ground and carved trees for ceremony.

After seeing Sean’s works in Confined 5, the National Gallery of Victoria commissioned him to make ceramic works for its showcase exhibition Melbourne Now in 2013-2014. Those works are now held in the NGV’s collection.

Sean was one of seven finalists in the Shepparton Art Museum’s Indigenous Ceramic Awards in 2016. The works he submitted for the award were subsequently acquired by SAM. In 2020, Sean won the Emerging Artist Award at the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Koorie Art Show. In 2022 Sean won the South-East Australian Aboriginal Artist Award at the Shepparton Art Museum’s Indigenous Ceramic Awards and the NGV also acquired another of Sean’s ceramic artworks. In 2023 Sean was accepted into the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Blak Design course and exhibition in ceramics. Sean was the 2024 Koorie Art Show winner of the Viva Energy Australia 3D Award.

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Material: stoneware, glaze

Dimensions: 13 x 11 x 11cm