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Gareth Nash Ceramics

Artist Statement: Gareth Nash

Gareth's interest in horses started at an early age when his grandmother encouraged him to model them in plasticine. Interested in developing a creative career he graduated from the University of Wales Cardiff with a first class degree in Ceramics.

After a short time teaching he took up a scholarship at the Royal Collage of Art completing an M.A. Gareth’s research involves the history of the horse in ceramics, it’s religious connections and how different cultures have built and embellished them.

Gareth has exhibited extensively across the UK and internationally in Germany, The Netherlands, Ghana, West Africa and China. Supported by the Arts Council of Wales he has produced two successful solo exhibitions that have toured across Wales.

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His current research project involves developing new ways of building clay horses and tomb figures from the Wei and Tang dynasties. His work is in public collections including The Royal College of Art, London, Fule International Ceramic Art Museum, Fuping, China, Keramik Museum, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany, Keramiek Centrum, Netherlands.

Gareth is passionate about ceramic education and has written articles and appeared in programs produced by S4C and BBC News. “ Using the plasticity of clay to express human emotions is instinctive, exploring the artistic quality of this medium is exciting and challenging”.

Gareth Nash 2018.

Dip Ed, B.A (hons) M.A, RCA

When I was young my grandmother used to buy me brightly coloured plasticine. I would spend hours modelling horses and expressing my inner emotions out into the physical world through manipulating the plasticity of clay with my fingers. My love of horses and clay have become key elements in allowing me to express myself as an emerging artist. Its ability to take the form of your thoughts and feelings has fascinated me since childhood. Wanting to develop a creative career I gained a first class degree from the University of Wales, Cardiff leading to a scholarship at the Royal College of Art. Since then I have set up a studio and through an Arts Council of Wales Grant been able to produce solo exhibitions. I run clay and glaze workshops focusing on the history of the horse in clay and local ceramic history connected to South Wales potteries.

I have exhibited across the UK at MOMA Cymru, RCA Conway, Nantgarw China Works Museum, Cardiff, The Factory, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Internationally in Europe at The Keramik Museum Westerwald, Keramiekcentrum, Netherlands and FLICAM, Fuping, China. My ceramics are part of public collections at MOMA Cymru, Wales, The Royal College of Art, London, Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Germany, Nantgarw China Works Museum, Cardiff and the Fule, International Ceramic Art Museum, Fuping, China. Recent work explores the history of the horse in ceramics developing a PhD proposal and research for a book, Clay Horses, A Ceramic History.

I have completed a residency in Fuping, China, where I have been able to further my research into clay horses studying the Wei and Tang dynasties during June, 2017. I am passionate in developing opportunities for ceramics in education and promoting the developing clay art scene in the Rhondda and South Wales Valleys. My ceramics has two strands, my research and passion for the history of the horse in ceramics and my artistic voice that wants to communicate emotions to the viewer around sensitive issues concerning the human condition. I am currently exploring Gender Dysphoria within my ceramic artwork. Expressing feelings from the heart into the clay. I am currently preparing a research project proposal working with Base Art Studios and Gallery in Taff's Well, Cardiff, South Wales.

Gareth Nash, 2018.