Artist Spotlight: Mirabel Ehirim

Mirabel Ehirim is a Nigerian-Canadian ceramic artist and founder of Morph & Matter, a sculptural homeware studio based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Redefining the Familiar: Mirabel Ehirim’s Use of Handbuilt Stoneware as a Canvas to Tell the Story of Emotion in Everyday Objects.

Mirabel Ehirim primarily works with hand-built stoneware, creating sculptural ceramics that invite touch, spark conversation, and bring emotion into everyday spaces. reimagines everyday objects as sculptural forms that spark curiosity and invite interaction.

What does “MY VIEW, YOUR?” mean to you?

When I first heard the title, I thought about how different our interpretations of the world can be, how one's view shifts when seen through another person’s eyes. To me, it feels like an invitation, almost a vulnerable stage, where we share what we notice and how we see. That’s why I chose my Where the Wildflowers Bloom bowls. At first glance, they might seem random, a flower or a lily pad inside a bowl, but that’s the point. I’m reimagining everyday objects as art, turning a bowl into a scene. I wanted to make wildflowers, which are often overlooked, the focal point.

Can you walk us through the artwork "Beneath the Lilies"?

The piece that resonates most with me is Beneath the Lilies. It began with an image I always carry of a pond: a lily pad floating near the surface, a flower blooming just above the waterline. I shaped the rim like ripples, added glass for depth, and let the form evolve naturally. Then it cracked badly. I finished it anyway, and it cracked more, but it

also survived. I repaired it with kintsugi, highlighting the break with gold. Now that seam is what I love most. It’s honest. Imperfection doesn’t ruin the story; it is the story. What I hope people notice is not just the details, but also the journey: the process, the break, and the outcome in the end.

Much of this exhibition explores the relationship between humans and the environment. How does your work engage with nature, space, or the world around you?

My relationship with nature has always been about appreciating the little things. This series actually started by accident. I set out to make a vase, but my hands took me somewhere else, and the work evolved into sculptural landscapes. Each bowl holds a scene: wildflowers along a path, vines curling under a tree, streams cutting through stone, lily pads resting on water. They’re both literal landscapes and hold a deeper part of my story. The flowers aren’t exact species; they’re shaped from memory, from what felt right in the moment. Through the textured

surfaces, I want people to slow down, trace the details, and remember they’re part of the world around them too.

What kind of questions or conversations do you want your work to spark, especially in a group exhibition like this, where so many perspectives collide and coexist?

I want my work to spark curiosity. To make people wonder: How was this made? Why these textures? What’s the story here? But even more than that, I hope it encourages people to notice the world in more detail, not just rush through it. If someone leaves the gallery looking at wildflowers, cracks in stone, or the curve of water with more attention, then the work has done what I hoped.

If you had to describe your exhibited work in just three words, what would they be and why?

● Striking: Because the visuals catch your eye immediately. The forms aren’t what you expect from a bowl, and the textures and colours demand attention. A big part of that comes from my glaze choices; I love

layering unexpected combinations, and often something experimental emerges in the process. Those surprises create depth and richness that make the work stand out.

● Details: The details are what make each piece feel alive. Every surface is textured and layered, never perfect, always shifting, a petal that folds a little differently, a vine that bends off to the side, a rim shaped like water in motion. Even the cracks and repairs become part of it. I want people to not just look but to trace the surfaces, to find something new each time. For me, the details carry memory, both of the landscapes that inspired the piece and of my hands moving slowly through the clay.

● Story: Each piece carries my story, of growth, imperfection, letting go of control, but they’re not only mine. I leave space for viewers to find their own reflections in them, to connect the work to a memory or feeling they’ve carried. For me, the story is in both the making and the receiving.

How does it feel to be part of a group exhibition like this one, sharing space, theme, and energy with other artists?

It feels like a privilege to be among so many talented people, to experience the world through their eyes, and to share my perspective in return. For me, it’s pure inspiration. The energy I hope to bring is storytelling, and maybe a new way of imagining what everyday objects can become.

What’s next for you as an artist? Are there themes you’re beginning to explore, or directions you’re excited to grow into?

I want to push further into hybrids, sculptural statement pieces that still carry a sense of function. I’m also eager to keep exploring glass, experimenting with contrast, depth, and how different materials can interact. For now, I’m following where my hand and mind take me, and I guess the clay too.

MY VIEW, YOUR? is backed by RADRCanada as our media partner.