Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection, May 2025

Wayne Ngan, Tea Bowls, c. 1970s, ceramic. Collection of John David Lawrence. Photo: Vancouver Art Gallery

Wayne’s work will be included in the upcoming exhibition “Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection” from May 25 – November 9, 2025 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Written in Clay presents a history of ceramics made in British Columbia told through the collection of John David Lawrence, a long-time Vancouverite, musician, performer, activist, collector and owner of local antique shop DODA ANTIQUES. Through his relationships with ceramic artists and their work, Lawrence has become a crucial figure in preserving and documenting local ceramic history. Featuring approximately 200 ceramic objects collected over four decades, this exhibition reveals the diversity of material and aesthetic approaches to ceramic production in the province. Beginning with Axel Ebring’s Scandinavian-inspired, handcrafted pottery from the 1940s, the exhibition explores the range of influences that affected the development and proliferation of ceramic practices in BC, from Scandinavian utilitarianism and the studio pottery movement of Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada to the Arts and Crafts movement, and Japanese Raku. A few of the featured artists will include Mollie Carter, Axel Ebring, Mick Henry, Charmian Johnson, Glenn Lewis, Santo Mignosa, Wayne Ngan and Laura Wee Láy Láq, among many others.

The exhibition is Organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by Diana Freundl, Senior Curator, with Michael J. Prokopow, Special Advisor, and Andrea Valentine-Lewis, Curatorial Assistant.