Kaz Davis
Kaz Davis — 'Presage' Sculptural Ceramic, 2025
This work responds to the weathered stacks of shipping containers at Port Botany near Kaz Davis' studio and is influenced by the period of transition between modernism and minimalism, with the adoption of the grid.
The slight tilt of the stacked ceramic forms evokes the sense of precariousness in our world that many of us are experiencing at present. The composition articulates an unsettled feeling of things piled up with the possibility of crashing down. Layers of pigmented engobes, metallic oxides and glazes were applied to the slip-cast porcelain and stoneware blocks to develop painterly surfaces evoking emotions that elude verbal expression.
The nine components can be arranged in different configurations, with the option of hanging most pieces on the wall. This modularity mirrors the reality of life as a state of tension between constancy and flux. The piece is titled ‘Presage’ because it represents a shift in the artists practice and suggests a new direction for future work.
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Based on Bidjigal land (Sydney), Kaz Davis works with ceramics, photography and mixed media. Her formal studies include: BFA, COFA, UNSW (1991), and Advanced Diploma of Fine Arts, Meadowbank TAFE (2003).
Davis employs wheel-throwing, slip-casting and hand-building to make clay forms layered with engobes, pigments and glazes. Her prolific photography of weathered surfaces and industrial landscapes informs her ceramic practice as she seeks to capture the intangible allure of decay and impermanence.
Davis’s awards include the National Emerging Art Prize for Ceramics; and grants from Create NSW, and Creative Australia. Her work was shortlisted for North Queensland Ceramic Awards, Little Things Art Prize, Meroogal Women’s Art Prize, Gosford Art Prize and Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. She has exhibited at Michael Reid Clay (solo, 2024), Noosa Regional Gallery, Home Gallery, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, and SH Ervin Gallery. Collections include: Morgans Financial and TAFE Northern Sydney Institute.
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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: porcelain, stoneware, engobes, ceramic pigments, metallic oxides, glazes, epoxy, patinated copper leaf, graphite, ink, wax
Dimensions: nine components: 33 x 86 x 86 mm each, overall dimensions: 173 x 205 x 102 mm
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.