my work celebrates the essence of clay, highlighting its organic textures and forms through mark-making - like wind, water, and sand shaping the earth, my surfaces are stone like, carrying movement and depth. I draw inspiration from nature, architecture, art, and music, collecting mental notes of everyday objects with striking silhouettes to reimagine in clay.
I am interested in light and shadow, the conversation between forms, the dialogue within, and most recently using these whilst exploring themes of expressing openness and lightness vs being closed, protective and guarded,. each piece is hand-built using the pinch and coil method—a slow, meditative process, an ancient tradition while infusing a modern sensibility. I embrace irregularity, making every vessel unique.
clay is an endless exploration, a play between control and surrender, a dialogue between hand and material. It’s an intimate dance, guided by intuition, emotion, the human touch, and the beauty of letting go.
vessels in texture is a working series in my exploration of form and surface texture. initially inspired by rugged landscapes, the pieces have evolved into sculptural shapes with emotional topographies shifting through time. today I aim to embody the spontaneous energy of creation, where play and intention meet.
tania whalen is a british ceramic artist from london. she is currently based in the US and works from her studio in brooklyn, ny. prior to this she lived in tokyo for almost two decades and it was here that the philosophies of ikigai and wabisabi shaped her aesthetic. it wasn’t until she moved to the states that she found herself in a pottery class and her journey with clay began.
her vessels are sold in select stores in the US and online worldwide, and can be found in private collections in the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
tania’s work has been featured in Elle Decoration Spain “La Ceramica Habla” Ceramics Speak, and in Arquictectura y Diseno ‘En Toda su Crudeza’ In all its rawness, written by Itziar Narro for the creators section.
shows/exhibitions
Opening June 4th2026 The Alchemy of Material: Reimagining the Everyday at SPACS, curated by SPACS x themudbklyn, New York, NY
2026 Second Nature at Dernier Cri, curated by Michael McGraw, New York, NY
2026 Objects of Desire Sikao at IF.BE curated by Pinky Daga, Mumbai, India
2025 Quiet Forms at Cafe Studio NYC, curated by Shu Tan. New York, NY
2025 @ Atelier Scales, curated by Devon Pavlovits, LADW group show, LA
2024 Salon des Refusés 2024 @ Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition, Brooklyn, NY
2024 Accumulations @ Shirley’s Project Space, curated by Clare Burson. Brooklyn NY part of BCAT 2024
2024 Brooklyn Unbound: Women’s Group Show @ Corner Gallery, Brooklyn Made, Brooklyn NY
2023 Ladies First @ Tanya Weddemire Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2023 group exhibit @ Powerhouse Arts, Brooklyn, NY part of the Gowanus Open Studios
2023 group exhibit @ Powerhouse Arts, Brooklyn, NY part of the Brooklyn Clay Arts Tour
2022 1000 vases at Galerie Joseph Paris, France
2018 On the table at Gasworks Brooklyn, NY
commissions
2023 Bond St NYC restaurant, Hudson Yards - permanent interior installation, NYC
& seen in Architectural Digest, Vogue Living, Domino, Elle Decor, Arquitectura y Diseno, GoodMoods, Curbed, NY Magazine, Wallpaper,
AD Italia, AD France, AD Spain, Frederic Magazine, Business of Home etc.