Based in Glasgow, Hong Kong born artist Viv Lee makes sculptural vessels as a response to exploring the materiality of clay and the metaphor of the body as a vessel. Working with stoneware and terracotta, she uses slow making techniques such as pinching and coiling, drawn to the meditative properties of these techniques. Vessels are glazed in natural earthy tones or left unglazed to show the body of the clay. A neutral palette allows the formal aspects of the pieces to stand out, emphasising the connection of both body and vessel to the primordial body, Mother Earth. Inspired by the beautiful irregularity of nature, Viv’s practice is influenced by ancient cultures and the belief in the body and the earth as sacred. Making becomes a means of connection to self and Nature. Graduating in 2017 from The Glasgow School of Art with a First Class . She has held solo exhibitions at The Mount Florida Gallery and The Briggait in Glasgow; participated in group shows at Custom Lane and The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh; as well as featuring in Craft Scotland’s summer show, 1000 Vases in Paris, and more recently in group shows by Modern Art Hire and The New Craftsmen during London Design Festival 2022.

What value does craft have in daily life?

Craft is a vital means by which we continue to tell the stories, skills and culture of the people and the land we live on through the objects in our daily life. It provides us with a richer and more meaningful engagement to these objects as well as a greater appreciation for the value of earth’s resources that sustain not just the making of the objects but all of life itself.

What does Scottishness mean to you?

It comes from my experience of being in the wild Scottish landscape - elemental, honest, primal beauty.

Come and visit us at Bard in Leith to see Viv’s work, or get in touch with us directly.