The Subversive Stitch is a collection of ceramic vessels that takes its title from the seminal book The Subversive Stitch by Rozsika Parker, which examines embroidery as a historically gendered practice positioned between art and craft.

In this body of work, comprising oversized vessels marked by metal stitches, the act of stitching is not a response to damage but a deliberate intervention. The stitches operate as symbolic marks that disrupt expectations of perfection and utility in ceramic forms.

By referencing juci, the ancient Chinese technique of mending ceramics with metal staples, the work invokes the visual language of repair while denying its function. This tension foregrounds the gesture itself: stitching becomes an act of authorship rather than restoration.

The project also engages with the historical marginalization of ceramics as “craft” rather than “high art”, a distinction closely tied to gendered hierarchies. As a woman artist working in clay, this practice consciously inhabits and challenges that divide.

The use of richly colored, varied glazes introduces an atmosphere that evokes femininity—not as a decorative quality, but as a fluid and expressive presence. These surfaces contrast with the rigidity of the metal stitches, creating a dialogue between softness and strength, ornament and interruption.