Join us for coffee & croissants as three emerging ceramic practitioners discuss their practices — particularly, the language and labels they use to describe what they do.  

Together Emelia French, Becky Richards, and Sung Hwan Bobby Park will discuss the terms that ceramics practitioners identify with and how this language can offer insights into their approach, ambitions, and the context in which they work. 

Emelia, Becky, and Sung Hwan Bobby each take a distinctive approach to their material, but share the muddy common-ground where concept, innovation, and technical skill intersect.

Tickets are $10 including coffee & croissants with limited places available. Registrations are essential. 

This event is presented alongside Becky Richard’s exhibition Wonderlump at Objectspace.

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Becky Richards (b. 1988) is an artist, writer, and educator. She grew up in Ōtautahi Christchurch and is currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Richards holds an MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. She is the founder and director of Mud Studios Limited, a shared ceramics studio focused on supporting contemporary practice-led research in clay.  

Born in Taranaki (1994), Emelia French graduated Elam with an MFA (First Class Honours) in 2017. She began working with clay in 2020, and was a finalist in the 2021 Portage Ceramic Awards. Currently in the final months of her Visual Arts PhD at AUT, for 2023 she will undertake a full-time residency with Auckland Studio Potters. Her approach to clay is driven by a curiosity towards the material's irregularities and natural inclinations. Working in a responsive, receptive and intuitive manner, she enjoys exploring and pushing the materials' yet-known potential.

Sung Hwan Bobby Park is a Tamaki Makaurau-based ceramic sculptor who explores the relationship between objects and people. Born in South Korea, he draws inspiration from the craft traditions of Korea to create art that talks about identity in the current global environment. The artist draws on B.T.M 방탄모 (bang tan mo) Korean bulletproof helmets and his personal experience of being in the Korean military.  

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Coffee & Croissants is a conversation series supported by our friends at Allpress Espresso and Daily Bread.