Aleisa Miksad

Aleisa Miksad is a ceramicist from Central Victoria. Her work walks a line between ancient and contemporary ceramics. Inspired by classical ceramics of the Greeks and Etruscans, these ancient forms are reimagined in writhing coils and spiked collars.

Evoking early coil pots, a traditional method of building ceramic vessels, made by building up the sides of pots with successive ropes of clay in a circular pattern, Aleisa coil-builds her vessels from stoneware and porcelain clay bodies. The form emerges slowly over the course of a few days as she works. Adornments such as spiked collars, lips and ruffled bottoms are added once the vessel is completed. The forms are then bisque fired and sometimes under glazed before the final firing. This series of work is an exploration of something between ancient and modern ceramics. The meticulous process of coiling these works allows space for exploration and exaggeration of the form as the piece develops.

Aleisa has been selected as a finalist in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, 2024, and the Lake Art Prize, 2022. She has exhibited with Craft Victoria and featured in the SAM Spotlight, 2023, at Shepparton Art Museum.