A GROUNDBREAKING touring exhibition curated by local artist and researcher Larissa Warren debuts at The Centre Beaudesert from Saturday August 2 and runs until October 11, 2025.
It features work by 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).
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.
Shifting Ground showcases a stunning selection of ceramic works by 12 contemporary Australian artists, alongside a poignant collection of historical pieces by pioneering women potters from the Tamborine Mountain region.
Each piece is crafted from Tamborine Mountain’s native volcanic clays, uniting artists – both past and present – and highlighting the deep connection between place, material, and tradition.
This exhibition builds on Larrisa Warren’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.
“This exhibition truly highlights the intricate thought processes behind the creation of these ceramics, and the realisation of the artists’ visions is nothing short of inspiring,” Larissa said.
Following its showing in the Scenic Rim, Shifting Ground will tour nationally to 12 venues in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia.
