Nani Puspasari — 'Wild Things Grew Again' Triptych, 2025 — Honourable Mention

Honourable Mention of the 2025 SSCP

Wild Things Grew Again was created during Puspasari's two-month residency at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan (April to June 2025). Known for its rich ceramic tradition and unique clay, Shigaraki gave Puspasari the chance to experiment beyond her usual figurative forms. This project marked her first experience with Anagama wood firing, learning directly from local artists through collaborative kiln firing. 

"The sculpture is inspired by my childhood garden in South Borneo, lost to fire in 1993. Using local Shigaraki clay, I created wild, abstract forms that symbolise regrowth from destruction. The unpredictable kiln effects such as ash, flame, and time became part of the work’s texture. Instead of using a gold lustre firing, I carefully applied gold leaf by hand to preserve the kiln’s natural marks. This body of work reflects personal memory while exploring broader themes of resilience, adaptation, and the cycles of nature. It pushed my ceramic practice in new directions."

— 

Nani Puspasari, a visual artist based in Naarm, Australia, migrated to Australia in 2008. She holds a design degree from Swinburne University and earned her Master of Fine Arts from RMIT in 2010. Her artistic practice is a profound exploration of visual art that includes installation, sculpture, digital illustration, painting, and ceramics. Rooted in storytelling, her work explores themes of childhood memories, identity, migration, and cultural hybridity. Puspasari captures a spectrum of emotions—from innocence and anxiety to loss and sorrow—reflecting the complexities of human experience. Drawing inspiration from the colourful pop culture of Asia and the bold forms of Western design, she examines how cultural influences shape self-perception and belonging. She is a finalist for the 2024 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, North Queensland Ceramic Awards and was also recognised as a finalist in the 2023 Muswellbrook Art Prize, Hornsby Art Prize, and TRAILS Sculpture Prize.

—

Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize 2025

 2 – 30 August

Mud Australia is partnering with Craft to present this year's Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize. Now in its fifth year, the prize is open to all Australian ceramicists and awards innovative, sustainable and emerging talent with a $10,000 fund to support and accelerate their practice. This year, for the first time, the selected finalists are celebrated in a four-week exhibition in Craft's Atrium gallery space.

The SSCP was established in 2020 by Shelley Simpson – Mud Australia’s Founder and Creative Director – and continues to recognise and support emerging and early-career ceramicists working across the spectrum of contemporary practice.

Read more about the exhibition here: