Voluptuous Growths of Thousands of Porcelain Layers Erupt Across Olivia Walker’s Works

Art
Craft

#ceramics
#Olivia Walker
#porcelain
#vessels

Voluptuous Growths of Thousands of Porcelain Layers Erupt Across Olivia Walker’s Works

August 2, 2024

Grace Ebert

All images © Olivia Walker, shared with permission

Innumerable, wafer-thin layers of porcelain ripple into the collapsed sides of Olivia Walker’s vessels. The Devon-based artist throws small bowls on the wheel before affixing countless fragments that appear to rupture and spread across the forms. Layers are attached while leather-hard, the perfect pliability for sculpting growths evocative of fungi, coral, and other organisms.

For wall-based works, Walker collaborates with her partner Ben. These pieces meld the porcelain shards of the vessels with tadelakt, a naturally waterproof plaster made of lime. The smooth surface slowly gives way to the delicate porcelain layers, which appear to consume the flat planes with voluminous, undulating textures.

Walker is currently in the middle of a few large-scale commissions, many of which reference landscape and harvest, and she has a few pieces available from Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Keep an eye on the artist’s Instagram for updates.

#ceramics
#Olivia Walker
#porcelain
#vessels

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