Artist Statement
Bonnie Hislop is a Meanjin, Brisbane based ceramicist specialising in hand building and ceramic illustration. Grounded in technical skill, her practice has evolved from creating illustrative functional ware to large scale sculptural vessels. Bonnie uses her forms to critically engage with the world around her and documents the human experience. Working from her studio in Yeerongpilly, Bonnie meticulously hand crafts her forms through an involved and often uncertain process that comes with working
with clay. She unites bright colours and satirical concepts to engage her audience in a dialogue with the physical world around them.

Her work intersects traditional representations of ceramics with a craft aesthetic to create a contemporary interpretation of the ceramic medium. The artwork doesn’t take itself too seriously yet is able to capture personal experiences universal to the human condition. Her art aims to encapsulate universal experiences of frustration… angst, grief and emotional fatigue… as well as tenderness, intimacy and desire. The performative, brightly coloured ceramics forge an existence through joy and curiosity.

This Ain’t No Ladies Boot Store is Bonnie Hislop’s latest collection of colourful, satirical ceramic pieces - an emotionally charged protest for Hislop and her femme counterparts.

Through this work she celebrates feminine strength and vulnerability. Deliberately decorative, the collection features pieces seemingly designed simply to be ‘pretty’ as well as more overt sociopolitical statement works in her signature typographical vessel style.

artist portrait - Melanie Hinds
@withthepeaches