As clay continues to assert itself as a contemporary art form, the City of Cape Town’s decision not to renew the lease of the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery and Clay Museum — a fine arts organisation that has served as a cultural cornerstone for over 40 years — has the ceramics community reeling. While politicians appear out of touch, the Spier Arts Trust has been quietly doing the work since 1996: facilitating opportunities for artists’ career development and addressing inequality in the arts.
YLA: What role does the Spier Arts Trust play in the local ceramics ecosystem?
Mirna: I would like to think that we contribute positively to reducing the art/craft divide in South Africa by presenting our annual Spier ceramic exhibition and by participating in 100% Design with an exquisite selection of contemporary ceramic artworks.
Ceramics are historically seen as artefacts of cultural heritage and function, rather than contemporary artistic expressions. I am often puzzled by how ceramic artists price their work — labour and material are hardly recovered. By raising the profile of the art form, we hope to shape public awareness and change perceptions, to give ceramic artists a serious platform for presentation and help them make sales. We are not focused only on this medium in our ecosystem of opportunities but have recognised that it is marginalised. We are by no means the most significant organisation in South Africa addressing inequities in this field, but we are gently supporting artists through our efforts.
YLA: How is the Spier Arts Trust shaped by where we live and when we live?
Mirna: We certainly endeavour to reach a broad range of artists living and working in contemporary South Africa. Our art sourcing takes us mainly to three cities — Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Gqeberha — but we have also worked with excellent community projects in rural areas.
The work we buy for the collections we administer/curate always considers current challenges, such as lived experience within the social divide in our country, perpetuated through poverty and by the politics of history. Themes of identity and belonging are explored, as well as humanity’s relationship with nature.
YLA: Clay is so tactile and so primal. How would you describe working with it?
Tamlin: While we can link clay back to our human origins and conceptually discuss the link we have had with making shapes and forming clay vessels from early times, clay is inherently a felt experience. The tactile nature of the medium is inherently soothing, and the ability of clay to hold the shape that one spends time forming is satisfying.
Clay has many states, allowing for a shift in how we engage with the medium. Its plastic nature when wet allows for easy manipulation and shaping. It then changes to a leather-hard consistency, which can be carved. As it dries, it becomes brittle and requires careful handling. Each of these stages allows for a quiet mind and focused concentration. Working with clay is calming practice and one starts thinking less and experiencing, even meditating, more.
Clay is an ancient and deeply symbolic material. It connects us physically to the land and offers a powerful space for reflection and regeneration.
Global Eyes on South African Ceramics
“The South African design scene is the best in the world with the most indigenous melting pot of diversity,” says collector Michael Morgan Ticker, speaking from London as he prepares for his next extended buying trip to the motherland.
International tastemakers agree. At Paris Fashion Week last year, Karoo-based ceramicist Hylton Nel’s ceramic cats and Karoo colours inspired Dior’s 2025 Spring Homme collection. It was a historic moment that threw South African makers into the global spotlight. This came hot on the heels of Hermès’ fabric collaboration with KwaZulu-Natal’s internationally acclaimed ceramics success story, Ardmore.
As proud South Africans we may not need high-end European brand approval, but we love the recognition of art as a key visual language and believe that collaboration can drive social transformation. In that spirit, we’re all smiles.
Images © Spier Arts Trust
