Ashley Thorpe 
Contemporary British Ceramics 
Beneath the Surface

Ceramics is one of the most vibrant and engaging fields of contemporary British art. This
lavishly illustrated book reviews the work of twenty-two artists and celebrates their
contribution to its rich landscape. Written from a collector’s point of view, it explores what
contemporary ceramic objects can mean, what emotions they evoke and how artists draw
upon different facets of the art and crafts worlds in their work. A vital visual and critical resource,
Contemporary British Ceramics showcases British ceramics as a compelling interdisciplinary practice,
attuned to the contemporary world. Featuring more than 280 images, it encourages readers to look beneath
the surface, to discover the vibrant contribution that British ceramics makes to the broad field of
contemporary art.

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Ashley Thorpe is a collector of ceramics, writer, playwright, performer and academic. Having seriously collected contemporary British studio ceramics for over fifteen years, he has extensive knowledge of the field. In 2019, the prestigious international journal Ceramics: Art + Perception awarded him their inaugural writing prize for an essay on the work of Tessa Eastman. He currently teaches Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he gained his Ph D.