Degree: Intermedia
University: The University of Edinburgh
Graduation Year: 2024
Evie Mae Harding’s practice embraces imperfection as a source of beauty and meaning, finding new ways to challenge traditional ideas of value—both in materials and in the self. Working with techniques like Scagliola and Raku firing, she creates objects imbued with a raw, tactile presence. Raku, a process celebrated for its unpredictability and the organic imperfections it produces, mirrors Harding’s broader exploration of vulnerability and transformation. These imperfections, formed during the rapid cooling of ceramics, become metaphors for the fragments of her own experiences that she incorporates into her work.
By embedding deeply personal materials, such as shredded pages from her diaries, Harding aligns her artistic process with the philosophy of Raku: embracing what is imperfect, unpredictable, and profoundly human. The cracks and textures of the material resonate with the emotional weight of themes such as trauma, grief, love, and recovery. Just as Raku ceramics are valued for their flaws, Harding’s work finds worth in the messy, unresolved aspects of life, transforming them into forms that feel timeless yet deeply personal.
Through her hands-on techniques and conceptual depth, Harding creates sculptures that ask us to reconsider how we define worth—whether in an object, a material, or ourselves. Her practice offers a powerful reminder that imperfection is not something to hide but something to celebrate, presenting the fragile and the vulnerable as sources of strength and beauty.
My work centres around perception.
Perception of material
& Perception of the self
It is a consideration of value.
Value given
& Values chosen
More broadly, it is recognising how ‘I am’, ‘you are’, ‘one is’ perceived. I work with artisanal techniques such as Scagliola and Raku Firing to produce sculptures which pull you in with their attraction, but upon further inspection are layered with readings that encourage a rethinking of the perceived value.
(2024) Pilot, West Barnes Studio, West Barnes Art, Dunbar
(2024) ECA Graduate Show 2024, Edinburgh Collage of Art, Edinburgh
(2022) BOOKMARKS, ECA, Edinburgh Collage of Art, Edinburgh
(2022) Residents Work In Progress, Custom Lane, Edinburgh
(2024) New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize Nomination
(2024) University of Edinburgh School of Art Studentship Award
(2024) University of Edinburgh Art Collection Purchase Prize.
(2024) Selected for Tatha Gallery Graduates Exhibition