New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based visual artist Kohl Tyler’s ceramics look like organic remnants discovered on ‘an imagined planet’.

Kohl originally studied fine art in Auckland, exploring installation and watercolour painting, which she has continued as part of her practice. It wasn’t until a few years after she moved to Melbourne that she picked up ceramics in 2021, after enrolling in a class at the School of Clay and Art in Brunswick.

Whilst now based in Melbourne, Kohl’s creative inspiration today draws on her childhood experiences growing up in the isolated sub-tropical town of Paparoa, nestled into a valley on the North Island of New Zealand.

‘My mother has always gardened, and my grandmother is a (now-retired) lunar and planetary astronomer,’ Kohl says. They introduced her to the intricate wonders of botanical ecology, which considers questions about ‘our place in the world’ in relation to the vastness of the universe.

These are the ideas Kohl still channels into her otherworldly creations today.

‘I reference plants, corals, and fungi in my work, and view my sculptures almost as remnants of an imagined biologically diverse planet, that appear weathered or fossilised,’ the artist explains.

Kohl’s distinctive works are all hand-built using a mix of slab and coil building. It’s a slow, drawn-out process that can take up to months to complete, as she creates many layers, giving each one time to harden before returning to it the next day after day.

The forms are then glazed with pigments featuring copper, chrome, or cobalt tones, before firing in the kiln at more than 1280 degrees Celsius, to warp the paper-thin clay silhouettes! It’s a unique process that has involved plenty of trial and error! ‘This is the nature of ceramics, you have to be open to heartbreak and failure,’ the artist explains.

‘I’ve definitely pushed things too far before and had works somewhat unravel in the kiln while I was experimenting with various clays, but I’m glad to say that I’ve now found my perfect clay.’

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