Claudia Priori is a Melbourne-based ceramic sculptor in Australia, specialising in midfire clay and glaze techniques. Claudia began her practice with studies at Melbourne University, earning a Bachelor of Education (Visual Arts). After commencing as an exhibiting artist, she dedicated 25 years to teaching the Arts before returning full-time to her ceramic studio practice in 2026. Her work is characterised by a whimsical, semi abstract approach drawing deeply on the female form as both a vessel of new life and an enduring object of beauty. Claudia’s work explores the female body as a landscape shaped by the tensions of cultural narratives and how women themselves navigate the psychological and physical overlays of their own bodies. These tensions situate her practice in the fields of Feminism, materiality and embodied experience.
About
My sculptures are quiet conversations with the viewer about the nature of beauty and the female voice. They are wordless objects that focus on innocent and uncomplicated curves and lines, rich with texture and unspoken language.
The female body is often overlaid with many different and disparate meanings, from the objectification of the male gaze to the youth and beauty mystique. I began to wonder what the female body would say if it could speak for itself, what visual language she would use.
Her truth emerges from the depth of her female body as a scarred, worn surface telling stories of the experiences that have shaped her, aged her and molded her. She whispers of the beauty in this imperfection with uncompromising authenticity, like the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.
I have been inspired by Jolanda van de Grint to explore saggar firing in an electric kiln, a process that creates smoky, uneven organic patterns. The unpredictable results mirror the natural weathering and ageing of materials, gently evoking the female form.
I use mostly mid-fire clays and some of my work is partially glazed, while others are raw with oxides. I have used terra sigillata to enrich the smoky surface quality in some and in others the texture is enhanced with pebbles or crater, crawled and crackle glazes.
I continue to explore themes of feminine beauty and the relationship of the tender female form to its embodied experiences.