Attila Olah is a local ceramicist whose work explores the power of the vessel: over thousands of years, through association with birth, nourishment, ritual, celebration and death, the vessel has become deeply rooted in the human psyche. He runs Altar Pottery, a progressive ceramics studio based in John Archer Hall, Toxteth.

Watch Attila’s short film, ‘Ice Motion’, here.

Images: Ceramic bowl, ‘The Seventh’, by Attila Olah (Left) & Attila at work in his studio (Right).

Jacob Chan

Jacob Chan is a local emerging ceramicist. His work is heavily based around his cultural background and heritage. Being half Chinese and half English his ceramics take inspiration from traditional Chinese shapes and forms, whilst the surfaces are heavily decorated in slips and oxides that contain other raw materials such as sand, slate and broken pottery collected from around the coastlines and mountain ranges of Britain.

Jacob was a finalist in the 2019 series of the Great Pottery Throw-down on Channel 4.

Images: ‘Foo Dog’ (Left) & ‘Dragon Ginger Jar’ (Right) by Jacob Chan.

Emma Rodgers

Emma Rodgers is a local ceramic artist who creates sculptural works which explore “confrontation, energy, curiosity [and the] essence of a moment” and are indicative of the very nature of the animals she depicts.

Recently Emma has started to experiment with bronze, as she feels clay can not sustain the demands of some of her ideas in terms of strength and durability.

Image: Part of the ‘Helen of Troy’ series by Emma Rodgers on display at the Bdc (Photography by Pam Seale).