Never would I have imagined that a ceramic ashtray could provoke in me the same frenzied response as a designer handbag. And yet there I was on a Friday night, glued to my screen, counting down the seconds to an Instagram flash sale in an attempt to get my hands on one.
This was no ordinary ashtray: it was a particularly debauched one, filled with lipstick-rimmed cigarette butts, gold teeth and empty drug baggies, painstakingly rendered in clay by ceramicist-of-the-moment Alma Berrow.
Kate Moss, Sadie Frost, and Blanca Miró are already fans, and her knack for ‘finding comedy and delight in the disgusting’ has made her so popular that sales have now moved from social media to West End galleries.
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Berrow is in the vanguard of young, cool, Instagram-famous ceramicists who are breathing new life into a millennia-old medium with their signature humour, penchant for pushing boundaries and an all-important lack of pretension. ‘Once, the aim was to make “perfect” bowl or mug or vase,’ says Berrow. ‘Now, it’s all about playing around and having fun.’ And this sense of fun is infectious, opening up the art form to a whole new audience.
Covid is partly responsible for the renewed interest in this ancient art. ‘The enforced slowness brought on by the pandemic has contributed to a newfound appreciation for handmade crafts, and ceramics in particular,’ says Dr Cliff Lauson, curator of the Hayward Gallery’s upcoming show Strange Clay: Ceramics In Contemporary Art which runs from 26 October until 8 January 2023. ‘Artists working in clay today are showing an unprecedented freedom, unconstrained by traditional techniques, styles or schools of thought.’
And ceramics are only growing more mainstream. Anissa Kermiche’s cheeky ‘Love Handles’ vase was a cult lockdown buy and is still a bestseller on Net-A-Porter and Matchesfashion. Seattle-based Adrien Miller’s ‘Yin Yang Lovers Bowl’ blew up on Instagram mid-pandemic – as did work by Freya Bramble-Carter, Katy Stubbs, Henry Holland, Jake Clark and Karen Cheung, whose swear-word porcelain pendants sell out within seconds.
Bold, tongue-in-cheek and conversation-inducing, these buzzy new ceramics are sure to keep us (and, happily, nowadays our guests too) entertained.
Must-Have Ceramics To Shop Now
Henry Holland Studio Set of two marble-effect earthenware mugs
Adrien Miller Yin Yang Lovers Bowl
Made to order - From £170.00
Bettina Ceramica Pupa Candlestick - Woman
Bordallo Pinheiro Set Of Four Bowls
Marloe Marloe Lucie glazed ceramic vase
Adrien Miller Ceramic mouth vase face sculpture
Made to order - From £70.00
Anissa Kermiche Jugs Jug ceramic vase
This article appears in the November 2022 issue of ELLE UK, on newsstands now.
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
