About
Stephanie Zheng is a Singapore-based ceramic artist, writer, and editor whose practice
explores communal rituals, material memory, and the quiet negotiations between control and
chance. Working primarily with wood-fired and alternative firing techniques, she creates
vessels and installations that invite shared use rather than solitary contemplation, often
designed to serve tea or food among large groups.
Zheng’s work is rooted in the social life of objects. Rather than focusing on pristine finishes
or technical perfection, she is drawn to surfaces shaped by flame, ash, and unpredictability.
Wood firing, raku, and other atmospheric processes form the backbone of her practice,
allowing natural forces to leave visible traces on each piece. The resulting works carry marks
of time, environment, and collective labour, reflecting her interest in impermanence,
hospitality, and the beauty of controlled disorder.
Alongside her studio practice, Zheng is an active member of the regional ceramics
community, regularly participating in wood-firing gatherings and collaborative kiln projects
across Southeast Asia and Taiwan. These communal firings—often involving days of shared
work, conversation, and care—have become central to her artistic philosophy. They inform
both the scale of her vessels and her interest in ceramics as a social medium rather than a
purely decorative one.
Her recent projects focus on large-scale communal teaware and participatory installations,
where audiences are invited to engage directly with the work. These include interactive
vessels that evolve through public contribution, and wood-fired pieces designed for collective
serving rituals.
Zheng has exhibited her ceramics in Singapore, including presentations at Changi General
Hospital and Dragon Kiln’s Echo exhibition. Beyond the studio, she works as a journalist and
editor covering travel, culture, and food across Asia, a parallel practice that continues to
shape her sensitivity to place, material culture, and shared human experiences.
Through both writing and clay, Zheng’s work centres on connection—between people,
materials, and the fleeting moments that gather around a shared table.
