Josefina Isaza Colombian, b. 1982

Josefina Isaza is a Colombian-born ceramic artist based in London. She gained her BFA in Crafts from the University Of The Arts, Philadelphia, where she continued for a year as an artist-in-residence. During this time, she worked on completing a large-scale commission for a permanent installation that made its way home to her native country, Colombia. This was also part of a solo exhibition, Horizon. She then travelled to Tokoname, Japan for a further residency at Kyouei-Gamma!, where she had the good fortune to be taught by many ceramic masters, allowing her to embody the freedom, and spontaneity she observed in their practice. Josefina became a selected member of the Craft Potters Association in 2021 and was selected to be a part of the new members exhibition held in 2022 where she showed six of her sculptures. Over the years, she has developed her own style largely influenced by Japanese contemporary aesthetics, concepts of imperfect beauty, and close observation of nature.

Isaza's work is composed of miniature constituent pieces. The gathering of these meticulous parts comes together to form an instinctual outcome. Each tiny hair-like spike is crafted individually using a coiling method, and then methodically attached one by one. Her practice is intuitive; the creations of the sculptures are impulsive but decisive, which allows the work to morph between concave volumes and convex planes. A landscape and narrative emerges in the process of formation; surface, depth and texture are achieved with oxides and glazes applied in layers; the pieces are then fired multiple times in order to arrive at the desired outcome.