Break The Mould
Ikon Gallery
2026

Ikon presents Break the Mould, the final exhibition in a trilogy exploring craft, art school pedagogies and contemporary art practice. This show focuses on ceramics, positioning clay as a site of experimentation. Break the Mould transforms the gallery into a laboratory for residencies, collaborative making and public engagement. Throughout the exhibition visitors will see artists at work and take part in activities that bring the process of making to life.

Break the Mould brings together leading ceramicists and contemporary artists who challenge traditional boundaries of craft. Resident artists Jack Ky Tan, Halima Cassell and Roo Dhissou will work in the gallery during the exhibition, alongside artworks by Kara Chin, Mark Essen and Laurie Ramsell. The exhibition also hosts two Birmingham ceramics workshops; Sundragon Community Pottery, a not-for-profit organisation in Balsall Heath; and Modern Clay, an artist-led cooperative clay studio in Digbeth.  

By TOM BIRD Photography Moving Image Information