Shifting Ground
Shifting Ground is a celebratory exhibition that explores how clay, as both material and metaphor, can carry stories across time, connecting past makers with present-day artists. By sharing locally sourced clays, material research, and community stories, this project invites reflection on resilience, place-based practice, and the unseen labour of creative women in regional Australia.
Curated by artist and researcher Larissa Warren, Shifting Ground delves into the rich history of women potters from Tamborine Mountain, Queensland. It features a dynamic selection of artworks by twelve contemporary Australian artists, alongside a poignant collection of historical pieces by pioneering women potters from the region. All artworks are made from Tamborine Mountain’s native volcanic clays, showcasing the enduring legacy of this craft and highlighting the deep connection between place, material, and tradition.
https://magsq.com.au/touring-exhibitions/shifting-ground/
Artist / Curator Video
Curator, Larissa Warren, speaks about the Shifting Ground touring exhibition.
This exhibition builds on Larissa’s 2020 project Wild Women, Wild Clay, which was born out of extended periods of isolation during the global pandemic. Her research uncovered rich and fascinating stories of female potters who lived in relative isolation on Tamborine Mountain from the 1940s to 1980s, digging raw clays from their backyards to create decorative ceramics to use and sell from their home galleries.
Through a process of curiosity, enquiry and experimentation, Larissa discovered that these clays, much like the women who historically used them, were unique, tough and resilient.
Wild Women, Wild Clay inspired Larissa to connect with female artists she admired. She shared her research and the native Tamborine Mountain clays with them, and each responded to the different geographical, historical, social and creative aspects of her project in fresh and inspired ways, bringing a contemporary perspective to this captivating story while honouring the women who helped shape it: Frances Carnegie, Doris Aagaard, and Joyce and Isobel Morris.
Artists: Pie Bolton (VIC), Veronica Cay (QLD), Vicki Grima (NSW), Stephanie James-Manttan (SA), Nicolette Johnson (QLD), Yen Yen Lo (VIC), Jackie Masters (WA), Pru Morrison (QLD), Julie Pennington (ACT), Ulrica Trulsson (QLD), Larissa Warren (QLD), and Sarah Zalewski (QLD)
- Previously AtThe Centre Beaudesert (QLD)2nd August - 11th October 2025
- Previously At: Warwick Art Gallery (QLD)13th November 2025 - 10th January 2026
- Previously At: Dogwood Crossing, Miles (QLD)6th February - 21st March 2026
- Previously At: The Condensery - Somerset Regional Art Gallery (QLD)2nd May - 12th July 2026
- Currently AtBundaberg Regional Art Gallery (QLD)24th July - 4th October 2026
- Future LocationsMundubbera Regional Art Gallery (QLD)31st October - 12th December 2026
- Future Locations: Manning Regional Art Gallery (NSW)27th January - 20th March 2027
- Future Locations: Devonport Regional Gallery (TAS)15th October 2027 - 15th January 2028
- Future Locations: Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (WA)27th May - 23rd July 2028
- Future Locations: Hurstville Museum & Gallery (NSW)6th October 2028 - 14th January 2029
- Future Locations: Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery (QLD)24th February - 20th May 2029
Map showing NETS exhibition tour locations across Australia. A text list of the locations follows.
- The Centre Beaudesert (QLD)
- Warwick Art Gallery (QLD)
- Dogwood Crossing, Miles (QLD)
- The Condensery - Somerset Regional Art Gallery (QLD)
- Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery (QLD) (current location)
- Mundubbera Regional Art Gallery (QLD)
- Manning Regional Art Gallery (NSW)
- Devonport Regional Gallery (TAS)
- Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (WA)
- Hurstville Museum & Gallery (NSW)
- Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery (QLD)