Sydney Ceramics Market: The Makers
Sydney Ceramics Market returns to Carriageworks, October 18–19, with makers front and centre—expect close-up encounters, live making, and a rare chance to meet the hands behind the clay.
Words HANDE RENSHAW
Jasmin and Tim Stanford, Sydney Ceramic Markets newcomers and the makers behind, Dreaming Of Country. Photo: Kate Holmes
Ceramic wall plate artwork by Vanessa Bean. Main hero phone: Artist Soraya Nematollahi from Clay By Soraya by Samee Lapham
‘It’s always a pleasure to catch up with fellow makers and friends in the clay community, and I’m always excited to discover new faces and new work, says Georgina Lagos of Catbirddog. Photo: Courtesy of Catbirddog
Handmade sculptures by Clay By Soraya. Photo: Courtesy of Clay By Soraya
“Sydney Ceramics Market is such a vibrant, inspiring space where some of the most talented makers come together to celebrate clay and community.”
Pinched by Nevena at last year’s market, who is also attending this year’s event. Photo: Amy Piddington
‘The colours I use now are those found abundantly in nature, bringing a quiet and grounded feeling to my work,’ says Soraya Nematollahi from Clay By Soraya. Photo: Courtesy of Clay By Soraya
Sydney Ceramics Market returns to Carriageworks on October 18th to 19th with its biggest edition yet: more than 130 ceramicists from across NSW and the ACT under one roof, spanning statement sculpture to tableware honed by decades at the wheel.
This year’s line-up folds celebrated local names including Milly Dent, Clay By Soraya, Simon Reece, Studio Elke, Dreaming Of Country, Everything Flows Studio, Trade The Mark, Vanessa Bean, All Day Clay, Catbirddog, Coe Studio and Tim Fry Art.
For makers, the draw is as much community as it is creative exchange. Georgina Lagos of Catbirddog (whose menagerie of cats, birds, and dogs has a cult following) frames it simply: ‘It’s always a pleasure to catch up with fellow makers and friends in the clay community, and I’m always excited to discover new faces and new work. I have a love of wood fired ceramics, and I’m looking forward to seeing some awesome wood fired pieces… I may add some to my ever-growing collection!’
Expect a playful menagerie at Georgina’s table; including birds, wall reliefs, and character pieces riffing on cats and dogs. ‘This year you will find my bird range, some glazed, some left natural… along with some larger three dimensional works, I have some smaller wall reliefs, a medieval cat range and a poodle hairdo range. It is an eclectic mix of cats birds and dogs,’ she shares.
For Clay By Soraya, the timing resonates. Artist Soraya Nematollahi works at a pace shaped by memory, letting quiet recollections guide form and gesture: ‘The figures slowly emerge, almost like a poem being written line by line, with each curve and gesture finding its place naturally,’ she shares.
‘Being part of this year’s Sydney Ceramics Market is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s such a vibrant, inspiring space where some of the most talented makers come together to celebrate clay and community,’ says Soraya. ‘The past year has been full of change balancing motherhood, running my studio, and continuing to grow as an artist so having my work alongside so many creatives I admire feels like a real milestone.’ One piece she’s bringing, of a series of small hand-built figures, underscores that intimacy.
Newcomers Dreaming Of Country (made up of husband and wife artists, Jasmin and Tim Stanford) bring textural, hand-built pieces steeped in place. ‘We’re super excited to be part of the Sydney Ceramics Market—it’s our first time attending!’ says Jasmine. Their ethos is circular and seasonally responsive, ‘One of the things that drew us to clay as an art form was that there is no waste, all offcuts are gathered, reimagined and reformed into another. We have an earthy palette in the clays we use, and mostly work with dark matter, red earth and porcelain,’ adds Jasmine.
What ties it all together is proximity—to the people, the processes, and the ideas behind each vessel. Whether you arrive hunting a centrepiece, your next everyday mug, or simply to learn.
Sydney Ceramics Market 2025 will take place Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th October 2025 at Carriageworks in Eveleigh on Gadigal Land.
Tickets are available for purchase online here —with a discounted two-day entry option online only— or at the door all weekend, with kids under 13 free.
