Rochelle Malia (b.1998, South Africa) is a Sheffield-based artist-maker specializing in ceramics. Graduating in 2023 with a BA in Ceramics and Glass from the University for the Creative Arts, Rochelle’s creations echo their lived experiences, rooted in inclusivity and healing. Their work explores emotion, mindfulness and play, intertwined with the context of multi-sensory design, craftsmanship and ritual.

Their pieces embody specific moments, expressed through deliberate action and shaped by chance. They emphasize the clay’s raw, unglazed qualities - its fluidity, fractures, and lines of creation. A dance of control and release infuses their work, navigating emotions while the tactile immediacy of clay, captures their intent in every impression. The Physical-emotional bond is amplified through action, engaging multiple senses as the meticulously crafted vessels are “broken” and released yet captured in form and print.

Rejecting exclusivity, Rochelle forges a tangible link between themselves, their creations and the viewer. Their pieces, whether lasting or ephemeral, emerge from moments and emotions, shaping their narrative. Connecting with themselves and the wider community as they believe like Gantlett that “Creativity is a gift, not in the sense of it being a talent, but in the sense that it is a way of sharing meaningful things, ideas, or wisdom, which form bridges between people and communities.” (Gantlett: 2011)