As a creator working in three dimensions, I prefer to consider my works as investigations into form and function. My interest lies in our predilection to engage in ritual with the objects around us and attribute emblematic properties to them, whether they be extraordinary, banal or personal. Visually my work relies heavily on the use of geometric form and line which I view are the precursors and fundamental building blocks to visual communication and symbolism.

My ceramic work has always been informed by both the multiplicity of my background and my personal responses to the various stimuli of the built environment around me. My work is rooted in the traditional aspects of the craft in terms of technique and construction, although what I find is that, it’s ultimately the interaction between human and artefact that cultivates meaning, whether it be the artist as maker or the public as viewer. I continuously ask the question, how do these mere objects become imbued with value and meaning thus transforming them into our talismans for modern life?

My recent investigations have taken inspiration from Op Art, Memphis and the dazzle camouflage of the World Wars which has led me to create a collection of works with strong totemic forms decorated with lines. The resulting series titled Tow The Line references the initial nautical inspiration for the works, taken from the dazzle ships that first appeared in WWI coupled with a play on the phrase ‘toe the line’ questioning our ideas of conformity and compliance. Stripes as a motif, with their medieval connotations of deviance have taken a journey towards more ambiguous realms that perhaps these days conjure up sartorial playfulness or seaside gaiety.

Born in the Philippines in 1981 and brought up in Australia, Jennifer Oh is an emerging ceramic artist working between Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom responding to the rich font of influences from the places that she inhabits. She is predominantly known for functional and sculptural pieces that are defined by their heavy use of geometry and line.

A Bachelor of Media graduate in 2003 from Macquarie University Sydney with a specialisation in visual communication, she slowly began transplanting her skills in the visual medium into her ceramic practice. Through this Jennifer has had numerous opportunities to fulfil both wholesale and private commissions for small independent boutiques and art gift shops worldwide; creating bespoke tableware and home decor for stores in the United States, Denmark, Italy and Australia.

She was a finalist in the XV International Ceramics Biennale of Manises in 2022 and was Highly Commended in the
Siliceous Award for Ceramic Excellence in 2023 in Queensland, Australia.

As of writing, she has exhibited in a number of groups shows such as the Strictly Functional Pottery National in Philadelphia, the International Coffee Cup Competition in Taipei and The Little Things Art Prize, Sydney in 2022 and 2023. Of late, she has established a continuing working relationship with the Michael Reid Gallery group with whom she has exhibited with three times. The first was in a group show curated by Vicki Grima OAM in 2023 called ‘Pour’ which gave way to two solo exhibitions called Tow the Line I and II in 2024 - which represents her latest body of work. The show was described as a “dazzling suite of talismanic, torus-shaped sculptures and eye-catching geometric vessels adorned with striking and ultra-stylish graphic motifs.”