Mella’s latest work presents a visually arresting statement of beauty and destruction that carries an environmental message relevant on a local and global level.
Using smoke-firing techniques with large quantities of press-moulded and slip-cast ceramic forms, the work will focus on issues pertinent to the fishing industry and the huge global problem of plastic pollution of the seas.
Mella Shaw is a clay based artist creating thought-provoking objects and site-specific installations underpinned by a background in anthropology, museums and the study of material culture. Her practice centres on reoccurring themes of balance, tipping points, thresholds and edges confronting themes of fragility and loss.
Since graduating with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art, London in 2013, Mella has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally, with solo shows in London and Stockholm.
Residencies include at the University of the Creative Arts – Farnham, Konstfack Institute – Stockholm, and most recently at Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth. In 2015 Mella was one of a select group of artists chosen to represent the best of British making at the British Ceramics Biennial Award exhibition.
HARVEST will also showcase at the Saatchi Gallery London, Thursday 22 February to Sunday 25 February, 2018, as part of Collect 2018