Strange Clay: Edmund de Waal in the studio

Edmund de Waal, a white man with grey hair, wearing glasses and a dark shirt, talks to camera whilst seated in his studio, behind him shelves are visible, one of which contains books
Southbank Centre: screen capture from video

Edmund de Waal is an artist, master potter and author known for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels.

Among the artist’s major installations on permanent display are Signs & Wonders (2009) at the V&A Museum, London; an idea (for the journey) (2013) at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and a local history (2012) at the University of Cambridge. De Waal is one of 23 international artists whose work appears in the Hayward Gallery exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art.

In this video De Waal introduces us to his studio – and his dog – and explains how the space offers him a base for exploration. The artist also goes on to explain his passion for encouraging children to work and experiment with clay, and enthuses on the benefits of the medium for creativity and play. He also talks about the connectivity of clay as a medium, owing to its need to be shaped through physical touch. 

Edmund de Waal, a white man with grey hair, wearing glasses and a dark shirt stands in his studio a white walled and ceilinged space; he touches a ceramic vessel on a counter top
Southbank Centre: screen capture from video

‘I’m very, very passionate about getting kids connected to clay because it’s an extraordinary and powerful medium; it’s an extraordinary place for exploration.’

Edmund de Waal
Woman looking at a ceramic figurative sculpture with a purple body and black head, with fingers raised to lips in a shushing gesture. Installation view of Woody de Othello, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art at the Hayward Gallery.
Installation view of Woody de Othello, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art at the Hayward Gallery. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy the Hayward Gallery.
Watch more from Strange Clay

Enjoyed this video? Watch more artist insights into the works of Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art.

Slavs and Tatars, Samovar, 2021 © Slavs and Tatars. Installation view at Hayward Gallery.
Rob Harris
Art & exhibitions at the Southbank Centre

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