Personal statement

Wen-Hsi Harman is a Taiwanese ceramic artist based in Bristol. Her ceramic practice investigates cross-cultural identity through clay.

Wen-Hsi creates a series of ceramic works based on handmade sculptural porcelain spoons, fingerprints, bananas, and traditional Chinese characters to explore tension of cross-cultural identity between the East and the West through clay.

Academic qualifications

  • Foundation Certificate, Creative Writing, Cardiff University, UK
  • MA Contemporary Crafts (Ceramics), University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK
  • MA History of Art in China (Ceramics), National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • BA Chinese Literature, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Professional qualifications

  • 2017 Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy.

Professional memberships

Thesis title

On edge: exploring cross-cultural identity through ceramic practice

Research supervisors

Professor Anita Taylor, Professor Keith Harrison, Dr Conor Wilson.

Research overview

This project investigates the concept of 'in-betweenness' and uses a range of research methods including fieldwork and oral history interviews in Taiwan and practice-led work in ceramics. Wen-Hsi's research question is: How can a creative practitioner explore cultural identity and 'in-betweenness' through developing a language that brings together her studio practice and her fieldwork?

This project develops the idea of practice as a form of research, widens awareness and proposes new ways for ceramicists to explore the experience of being 'in-between' to develop cultural identity through clay.

Research interests

Ceramics, cross-cultural identity, oral history, creative practice research.

Research and academic outputs

Go to ResearchSPAce