Voluptuous Growths of Thousands of Porcelain Layers Erupt Across Olivia Walker’s Works

a white porcelain vessel that erupts into innumerable layered fragments

All images © Olivia Walker, shared with permission

Innumerable, wafer-thin layers of porcelain ripple into the collapsed sides of Olivia Walker’s vessels. The Devon-based artist throws small bowls on the wheel before affixing countless fragments that appear to rupture and spread across the forms. Layers are attached while leather-hard, the perfect pliability for sculpting growths evocative of fungi, coral, and other organisms.

For wall-based works, Walker collaborates with her partner Ben. These pieces meld the porcelain shards of the vessels with tadelakt, a naturally waterproof plaster made of lime. The smooth surface slowly gives way to the delicate porcelain layers, which appear to consume the flat planes with voluminous, undulating textures.

Walker is currently in the middle of a few large-scale commissions, many of which reference landscape and harvest, and she has a few pieces available from Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Keep an eye on the artist’s Instagram for updates.

two white porcelain vessels that erupt into innumerable layered fragments

a black porcelain vessel cloaked in innumerable layered fragments

a white plane that erupts into innumerable layered fragments, while hands adjust the corners

innumerable layered fragments on a wall work

a wall work erupts into innumerable layered fragments

a detail of a wall work erupts into innumerable layered fragments

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