Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth will be the first comprehensive history of fine art potteries in southern Africa, with

a focus on pioneer ceramic studios and workshops. This encyclopedic revisionist history of an oftenoverlooked

sector of the South African art and design world will explore the work of 30 potteries

that produced high-quality ceramic wares from 1900 to 1980. The book promises to be the definitive

history of southern African ceramics, giving voice to many artists whose work is little known in the

wider art world. It will contain over 300 photographs, a comprehensive list of studios, workshops and

potters, makers’ marks, and a wide-ranging essay on the history of this art form in southern Africa.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy Gers is a former curator at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth,

South Africa, and now lectures at l’Ecole Supérieure d’Art et de Design de Valenciennes, France. Gers

curated the prestigious Taiwan Ceramics Biennale 2014. She is a research associate at the University of

Johannesburg and an associate advisor at The Design Cradle, Cape Town. She has written museum

catalogues and published articles in journals including Art South Africa, Ceramic Review, Image

and Text, La revue de la céramique et du verre and African Arts.