Crammed on our shelves and wedged in our cupboards, our relationship to cups and saucers is a mostly incurious one. Their job is obvious and value, inevitable, such that we treat them as birthrights or the changeless tools of daily life. That the cup and saucer can be made ambivalent, strange or exotic again, and put at the front of our minds, is the great strength of Cup Runneth Over at Michael Reid Northern Beaches. The thirty-one ceramicists on show tell us that there is still uncharted territory when it comes to these objects …that these ‘old dogs’ can learn new tricks.

The concept for this show is a celebration of the humble cup, mug or preferred drinking vessel. This group of ceramics artists have been invited to contribute a set of cups in their own particular style and method.

The scope of this show will span form and function, exploring teacups, coffee mugs, sake cup – and beyond.

This show is a distillation of many creative minds – expressed in the form of this humble, ubiquitous yet much beloved functional ceramic.

EXHIBITION RUNS: 20-30 October.