Break the Mould

25 Mar-6 Sep 2026

Overview

Ikon presents Break the Mould – the final chapter in a trilogy of exhibitions exploring craft, art school pedagogies and contemporary art practice. This concluding instalment centres on ceramics, celebrating clay as a medium of experimentation and process-based practice.

Break the Mould brings together a dynamic cohort of ceramicists, including Jack Ky Tan, Halima Cassell and Roo Dhissou, for a series of residencies. The residencies are organised in partnership with the University of Staffordshire and supported by local ceramic studios in Birmingham, transforming the gallery space into a vibrant laboratory for exploration and public engagement.

Break the Mould also explores how the craft and medium of clay can speak to the future – through commemorative pottery focused on disaster ceramics, sustainable practices that reuse construction waste spoil, and gift economies in which clay is shared among colleagues or strangers.

This exhibition is supported by Jerwood Foundation and Freelands Foundation.