For the non-juried category of the Annual Members Ceramics Exhibition, the theme “War and Peace” invites reflection on one of humanity’s most enduring and complex dualities. It speaks not only to armed conflict and resolution on a global scale, but also to the quieter wars and reconciliations that exist within individuals, communities, and the landscapes we inhabit.

Ceramics and sculpture are especially powerful mediums for engaging with this theme. Clay holds a natural tension between fragility and strength, collapse and repair—making it an ideal material through which to explore rupture, resilience, and transformation. The act of working with clay can itself become metaphorical: pressure, breakage, rebuilding, and refinement all echo the cycles of conflict and healing.

Importantly, art is not always about beauty in the conventional sense. It can be confrontational, uncomfortable, and deeply reflective. It has long served as a medium for engaging with socio-political realities, bearing witness to injustice, memory, and lived experience.

Across cultures and throughout history, war and peace have been depicted in public art in almost every place in the world. From monuments and memorials to contemporary installations and protest works, artists have continually returned to these themes to commemorate loss, question power, and imagine reconciliation.

Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme broadly and imaginatively. Consider contrasts such as destruction and rebuilding, silence and noise, absence and presence, power and vulnerability. Draw on symbolism from nature, memory, history, and personal experience. War may be expressed through fragmentation, distortion, or raw material tension, while peace might emerge through balance, restraint, rhythm, or stillness.

Ultimately, this theme is an invitation to reflect on how conflict and harmony coexist, and how this can be expressed through the language of clay.

The size of the piece must fit in a cube of 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm

For the invitational categories, WhatsApp your full name, 3 Images of your work, the Title and a short Description of your work to Chantal on 079 372 8125