Josefina Barcelo
Josefina Barcelo — 'Terracotta Composition I' Sculptural Wall Work, 2025
'Terracotta Composition I' began with wild clay recovered from a construction skip in Brunswick, Victoria. After drying, slaking, sieving and firing tests, Josefina Barcelo blended the clay with other clay bodies to improve its workability and expand its tonal range.
The final work is constructed from four modular press-moulded relief tiles. Repeated across an aluminium frame, the units form a pattern that remains continuous without becoming uniform: differences in clay tones and surface are retained across the composition.
The work approaches clay as both material and record. Earth discarded by urban construction (and which, for many years, used to serve as material for Australian-made bricks) is gathered, processed and reassembled as a tactile archive of place, while the modular system offers variations in colour, texture and impression, along with a dynamic animal and botanical motif.
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Argentinian born ceramic artist Josefina Barceló has based her practice in Naarm/Melbourne since 2019. Her work combines an ongoing affinity with zoomorphic forms, pushing the ambiguity between human/animal figurative representation, and the expressive immediacy found in the medium of clay. These images find great inspiration in the imaginary of South American indigenous ceramics.
Having studied Visual Arts in Santiago de Chile, Josefina developed a strong connection with illustrative drawing. Her work begins with a rapid and intuitive sketch process, either drawn on paper or sculpted directly in clay. The energy captured in these early stages becomes one of the most important parts of the character retained within her final pieces.
More recently Josefina is exploring bringing this spontaneous way of working into repetition-based tile compositions. Each composition invites the viewer to observe difference within repetition and to consider the evidence of each tile’s journey. The origin of the clay, the maker’s hand, and the material responsiveness all play a part in how the tile both relates to its counterparts, and how it stands alone.
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Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize 2026
5 September – 3 October
Following the success of last year's prize, Craft is delighted to continue our partnership with Mud Australia to present the Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize 2026.
The Shelley Simpson Ceramics Prize (SSCP) was established in 2020 by Mud Australia Founder and Creative Director, Shelley Simpson, to support and champion the next generation of Australian ceramicists.
Presented in partnership with Craft Victoria, the annual prize is open to ceramic artists working across functional ware, fine art, handcrafted objects and broader commercial ceramic practices. Alongside a $10,000 cash prize, shortlisted finalists will be exhibited at Craft Victoria as part of a dedicated exhibition celebrating contemporary Australian ceramics.
Read more about the exhibition here:
Materials: Mixed terracotta bodies, including locally collected wild clay. Aluminium frame
Dimensions: approx. 71 x 41 x 41cm
Please note when purchasing, exhibition works are to be collected when exhibition closes.
Shipping costs may be estimates. Please feel free to contact shop@craft.org.au who will be available to provide an Art Courier quote or shipping costs for larger items.