Jess Nicholson / Lucy Hunter / Locke Jean-Luc Unhold / Mollie Schollum

“Holding Space” 24.04.2026 - 20.05.2026

Holding Space brings together four local ceramicists whose distinct practices explore what it means to hold, and to be held, through clay. Across a vibrant range of techniques, surfaces, and forms, each artist approaches the vessel not only as an object, but as a gesture of care, presence, and connection… one that exists in a delicate tension between fragility and endurance.

From bold, expressive structures to more intimate, figurative and tactile works, the exhibition moves between containment and openness, strength and softness, stability and imbalance. This interplay introduces a quiet tension that runs through the works, where forms appear to stretch, press, or resist their own limits. These pieces hold more than material; they carry traces of touch, memory, and process, inviting viewers to consider both the visible and the latent tensions within and around them.

In this shared space, clay becomes a language for both individuality and dialogue. Each work offers its own interpretation of holding, whether physical, emotional, or symbolic whilst also negotiating the tension between autonomy and relation. Surfaces pull against structure, gestures hover between control and release, and each piece contributes to a collective rhythm of form, colour, and energy that feels both cohesive and unsettled.

Together, they create an environment that is at once dynamic and grounded, where making is an act of attention and where even the most solid forms seem to contain an internal tension… something quietly held, yet never entirely resolved.

Holding Space is an invitation to pause and to reflect on what we carry, what contains us, and how, through form, we navigate the tensions that shape our connections to ourselves and to one another.

For more information on each artist (and to view available works) please navigate to the “artists” page of the website.