Sandra Black

Sandra Black is an established Western Australian ceramic artist whose work was the subject of 'Sandra Black: Holding light' at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2024-25. This was her first major survey exhibition, presenting over fifty years of practice.

Her work draws on both natural and industrial environments to create forms that balance fragility and strength. She is widely recognised for her distinctive ceramic vessels, which often feature pierced surfaces and complex internal structures. These works investigate the relationship between interior and exterior space, inviting light to activate the form.

Light is a central element in her practice, with perforated surfaces and layered structures allowing illumination to move through and around each work, creating shifting visual and spatial experiences.

Her practice demonstrates a deep understanding of material and process, developed through years of experimentation with clay, particularly porcelain. In recent times, her work increasingly reflects on cycles of growth, decay and resilience, and the environmental conditions that shape both natural and built landscapes.

Sandra Black has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and internationally, and her work is held in major public and private collections, reflecting her longstanding contribution to contemporary ceramics. In 2023, she was awarded the World Crafts Council Asia Pacific Craft Master Award, recognising her significant contribution to the field of ceramics.

Black’s practice continues to evolve through ongoing experimentation with form, structure and surface, maintaining a dynamic and responsive approach to ceramic practice.

Her work is widely represented in regional, state, national and international collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Parliament House, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Winnipeg Art Gallery (Canada), Gifu Prefecture Ceramic Museum (Japan), and the Auckland Gallery and Museum (New Zealand).

Sandra Black lives and works in Fremantle, WA, and studied at the WA Institute of Technology (now Curtin University). She has exhibited in solo and invitational shows since 1976 across Australia, as well as overseas including USA, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland and Japan. She has undertaken numerous residencies around the world, including a 2018 residency in Jingdezhen (China) and a 2015 residency in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh (India).