Melissa Knoesen

My practice has grown through a constant desire to push further, experimenting with scale, structure and technique and allowing the work to move beyond what feels familiar. I have always found myself wrestling with gravity. What began as a technical challenge has become central to my practice, shaping both how I work and how I think about form.

Clay gives me a space to pour myself into the material. I work intuitively, allowing emotion and instinct to shape the piece as it develops. I rarely begin with a fixed outcome. Instead, I respond to the clay, pushing and adjusting, allowing the material to dictate where the work goes.

There is something about working with clay that allows what is internal to become physical. Through form, weight, tension and movement, I can explore and express things that I cannot always articulate through words.

2025 | Many Selves | Art School Africa | Cape Town | South Africa
2025 | Summer Exhibition | Art School Africa | Cape Town | South Africa