Kaiqi Qiu

Born in China, with time in New York in her early 20s, Kaiqi's cross-cultural life currents shape her sensitivity to how stories are encoded in objects as much as in words. She settled in Tāmaki Makaurau with her family ten years ago and sees clay as a living connection to the land and its people.

Kaiqi's ceramics grow from observations of nature's fluidity and growth. She translates forms and textures found in native bush, bark, trees, fungi, lichen and wood grain into vessels. Her residency at Driving Creek in the Coromandel deepened her knowledge of local materials, leading to an exploration of local clays, ash glazes and wood firing.

With a background in communication, Kaiqi approaches clay as a process of observation and experimentation. Beginning with wheel-thrown forms, her work evolves through hand-built alterations guided by the material itself.

From her Grey Lynn studio, Kaiqi intends to make work that traces the making process, speaks to people’s senses and becomes part of their lives.