Vessel Gallery London - Contemporary Art-Glass Sculpture and Decorative Art. Exhibitions, Sales and Commissions.

Olivia Walker

1985, United Kingdom

Walker works in porcelain to create pieces that explore ideas of growth and decay through the construction and layering of complex surfaces.

All of her pieces start by being thrown on the wheel, before being built upon with thousands of individually applied fragments of porcelain. Many of her pieces are thrown and altered, often being cut away and reassembled in the leather-hard stage which allows her to deconstruct the form creating new surfaces on which to continue adding her porcelain layers.

Starting from a set point on a piece, Walker lets these organic accretions spread out and grow, almost eating through, or growing over the form beneath and covering it. Walker makes reference to organisms such as fungus, corals, and bacteria but her pieces are her own interpretation, letting the viewer bring their own ideas and emotions to her pieces.

Walker studied at Farnham in 2014 where she completed her MA in Contemporary Craft, specialising in Ceramics. An apprenticeship with the highly revered potter and writer, Julian Stair, gave her invaluable insight into the practice of running a ceramic studio and also the opportunity to further hone her skills. She has exhibited extensively throughout the UK and Europe.

Artist portrait by Sylvain Deleu.