Katharina Klug

Raised in a busy Austrian pottery, Katharina Klug was experimenting with clay as soon as she could reach the pedals on her mother’s wheel. Since setting up her business in Cambridge in 2016, Klug’s work has been showered with accolades – from being selected for Rising Stars at the New Ashgate Gallery to receiving the Silver Award (Ceramics) in the Craft&Design Selected Maker Awards in 2013, Katharina was short listed for the former again in 2020.

Her unique childhood sparked a life-long fascination with the materials, form and chemistry of ceramics that led to years of study and continues to inspire her today as she produces award-winning porcelain vessels influenced by the elemental colours and shapes of ancient Korean pottery, yet decorated with very contemporary graphic patterns.

Although every piece Klug makes is a one-off, she creates small series on a theme, grouping vessels in still-life compositions. Now, inspired by her recent experience of family, she has developed this into the idea of group portraits – siblings, parents, grandparents, couples. Vessels on a tray represent family members – they stand together or apart, you can put them on or take them off. New pots can be made or added and old pots can be taken away or broken. Relations can change every day but the vessels in the group are intimately connected. The tray on which the vessels stand signifies the bonds that keep a family together, be it love, responsibility or perhaps a physical tie like the family home.