About
Based at Oxo Tower Wharf, Rose Schmits is a London based ceramicist born and raised in the historic city of Delft in the Netherlands, whose art is inspired by her experiences as a trans woman and the rich pottery tradition of her city of origin. She is best known for her role as studio technician on the Channel 4 show The Great Pottery Throw Down since series 4.
One of her more prominent series of works, the Crawler Pots collection, involves porcelain vessels seemingly having sprouted spidery legs and tendrils ready to scuttle away. The lively vessels speak of bodies, transformation, sex, gender, monstrousness, and beauty, as well as exploring unexpected approaches to ceramic practice. Her work plays with the idea of what ceramic art can be, whether these are her collection featuring phrases relating to contemporary issues including trans rights done in traditional Delftware techniques, or the Crawler Pots that don’t quite work in the way you expect a vessel to function.
Her Crawler Pots collection showcases vessels that seem to have a mind of their own, defying gravity on their spindly legs. Their fragile porcelain tendrils and legs demand these objects are treated with respect and their autonomy as objects acknowledged. Even the far more user friendly cups in the crawler collection have tendrils as handles that require the user to negotiate their hand position with the very vessel they are trying to use.
