Arranged in an almost ceremonial, inward-facing circle atop lime-green plinths, the ceramics on show at County Hall Pottery (until 3 May 2026) appear like organic specimens or artefacts from another dimension. This, the show’s curator and ceramicist Jihyun Kim explains, is what ceramics could look like 100 years in the future.
Titled 'Ceramic Odyssey 2126', the exhibition brings together the work of five contemporary artists known for the way they challenge material boundaries, including Bangkok-based Eiair, the show’s South London-based curator Jihyun Kim, British artist Tessa Eastman, Canadian artist Toni Losey and Netherlands-based Uriel Caspi.
Each artist employs what Kim describes as 'bio-futurist thinking' to explore how ceramics might evolve in an imagined future where ecological, technological and biological systems have been radically transformed, and the boundaries between them deliberately unsettled.
‘Through this exhibition, I wanted to invite viewers to imagine an optimistic future through the lens of clay, expanding the perception of ceramics as a medium with limitless possibilities,’ Jihyun Kim told Wallpaper*. ‘The works were chosen for their otherworldly, ethereal qualities and for how they push the boundaries of material and technique. They spark curiosity, prompting questions like, “How was this made?” and “What is it made of?”, while showing that ceramics can be experimental, hybrid and endlessly inventive.’
I wanted to invite viewers to imagine an optimistic future through the lens of clay
Jihyun Kim
Toni Losey's highly saturated, organic ceramic sculptures capture plant forms in the process of blooming
While some works were specifically commissioned for the exhibition, others were existing pieces that naturally aligned with this vision. ‘I shared the exhibition brief and theme with the artists about five months before the show, and I was amazed by how they interpreted bio-futurism through their existing practices,’ says Kim.
Jihyun Kim's creations draw on her Korean heritage and the mysticism of nature – in particular fungi – bringing a sense of magical intrigue, as seen in the bubblegum-pink 'Salty Fairy Danji'
Artists presenting new work include Toni Losey, whose highly saturated, organic ceramic sculptures capture plant forms in the process of blooming. Her pieces are wheel-thrown, hand-built and multi-fired, resulting in complex, colourful, deeply textured surfaces – some with stamen-like wire and porcelain details. Similarly, Kim’s own imaginative creations draw on her Korean heritage and the mysticism of nature – in particular fungi – bringing a sense of magical intrigue, as seen in the bubblegum-pink 'Salty Fairy Danji'.
Displayed under glass cloches and viewed through magnifying glasses, Eiair's miniature white porcelain creatures reflect the fragility of the natural world
Bangkok-based Hassakorn Hirunsirichoke, also known as Eiair, is fascinated by small living beings. Displayed under glass cloches and viewed through magnifying glasses, his miniature white porcelain creatures reflect the fragility of the natural world. ‘Eiair used a “Solar Death Ray” technique, focusing sunlight through a large lens to bisque fire his pieces – an incredible fusion of clean energy, technology and nature that produces ceramics in a completely new way,’ explains Kim.
Tessa Eastman’s hand-built pieces, which combine contrasting glazes and forms that recall natural formations as seen through a microscope
Tessa Eastman's 'Big Red Cloud' is one of the pieces on display
Existing works include Tessa Eastman’s hand-built pieces, which combine contrasting glazes and forms that recall geodes or coral structures, as seen in 'Erupting Red Midnight Cloud Cluster', where a red mesh structure spills over voluminous, cloud-like forms, and Uriel Caspi’s work, which seeks to preserve ancient clay modelling and glazing techniques that are rapidly vanishing due to industrialisation. Pieces from his 'Corpus Archetypus' series feature pressed clay bodies depicting human organs, finished with Arabian lustre glaze – a technique developed in the Islamic world that creates an iridescent, metallic sheen through the application of metal compounds and refiring. In the exhibition, the works are placed on a moving turntable to reveal how the glaze shifts in the light.
Pieces from Uriel Caspi’s 'Corpus Archetypus' series feature pressed clay bodies depicting human organs, finished with Arabian lustre glaze
‘Together, as curator and artist, we reimagined ourselves as future makers in 2126, reinterpreting the works through a bio-futuristic lens,’ says Kim. ‘Tessa’s pieces became climate-responsive, shifting with the weather, while Uriel’s sculptures were envisioned as living organs, melding human, biological and material futures.’
Kim's exhibition design is intended to balance nature and technology
Presented at gallery and events space County Hall Pottery, which incorporates active studios and kilns in the historic County Hall building on London’s Southbank, the exhibition’s design was led by Kim. Plinths and walls are painted green, the floor is covered in furry fabric, and opaque, shimmering green fabric is placed across the windows, blurring the outside world. ‘I wanted visitors to feel like they had stepped into the year 2126 – something ethereal and otherworldly,’ she explains. ‘I drew inspiration from Dune, Guardians of the Galaxy and various bio-futurist illustrations.’ Running until May 2026, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in this imagined ceramic future and explore it firsthand.
Ceramic Odyssey 2126 is on show at County Hall Pottery until 3 May 2026, Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–6pm
County Hall Pottery
Belvedere Road
London SE1 7GP