Kate Roberts
Ceramicist
Memphis, TN, USA
A poetic beauty in unfired clay
- Kate creates large-scale installations with clay
- She has completed several residencies and is now a ceramic and sculpture professor
- Her work has featured in renowned institutions worldwide
Kate Roberts explores the transience of objects through natural materials such as clay and dust. She reveals their original, intrinsic properties, which are often considered simply robust, stable or durable. Kate primarily works with clay in its unfired state, which serves as a form of meditation through time, decay and memories. "I am constantly seeking challenging ways to practise my craft, letting the materials I work with guide me," she says. Her works are often large-scale, site-specific spatial installations. Kate is inspired by architecture, historical objects, literature and nature. The destructive forest fires on the west coast in 2020 informed a lot of her pieces, leading her to reflect on and investigate the temporal nature of life.
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INTERVIEW
As a child, I used to play with dirt and clay. I was drawn to its tactile and transformable nature. I love how it can become almost anything. Fired or not, clay captures an in-between state that I am drawn to. I explored the material further at school as a means for creative expression.
Gate to Nowhere was an installation at the 15th Parcours Céramique Carougeois in Carouge, Switzerland. Measuring ten metres long, it required careful planning to suspend beneath high ceilings. Supported by Fondation Bruckner, it boosted my confidence for future, large-scale opportunities.
Clay in its raw state can be vulnerable. It is through this vulnerability that I see a direct connection to the mortality of people, objects and the sites they exist within. Porcelain in its nature is fragile and delicate. Using these qualities, I can discuss decay and temporality in a physical and visceral way.
My processes are often repetitive, whether through building with layers of dust or slowly building on fishing line with long fibres mixed with porcelain slip. Each piece can take minutes to hours to create, depending on the final product. I enjoy working in a way where I can make decisions not just intuitively but instantly.
Kate Roberts
Ceramicist
Memphis, TN, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+1 8646169854
LANGUAGES
English
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