pie bolton

Pie Bolton is a contemporary ceramic artist working on Boon Wurrung country in Narrm (Melbourne), Australia. Geology is the driving force in her process-based practice as she considers the laying down of sediments over deep geological time, the continuous slow flow of rocks, catastrophic earth events and properties like gravity. Her practice is multi-layered, a combination of writing, thinking, reading, experimentation and making. She writes briefs and imposes her own deadlines. Her ideas fall philosophically into new materialism, the agency of matter and the flattening of anthropocentric hierarchies. She researches correlations between geologic and ceramic processes and often dissects her work by cutting with concrete saws and grinders to inspect the interior. She reveals what is usually hidden, highlighting the preciousness of the earth and the care we should be taking of it. Her practice is full of continued conversations and collaborations with materials, combined with a constant attentiveness to their, and her own, capacities and tendencies. It is these collaborations which form the bedrock of her practice, a solid base where the process is more considered than the outcome. Bolton’s lived experience - childhood memories of place, work as a geologist, and as an artist - reveals a deep connection with the earth and underpins the authenticity of her practice. More about Pie Bolton here.