About
Melbourne-based artist Jan Vogelpoel creates handmade sculptural works that celebrate the raw, natural beauty of fired clay. Through strategically placed voids, etchings and undulating forms, light and shadow reveal the texture and character of each piece, creating minimalist works with a distinct energy and personality.
The relationship between the architecture of nature and the built environment is a recurring theme in her practice. Combining a mid-century design sensibility with a contemporary minimalist approach, Jan’s intuitive process explores connection, fluidity and strength.
Each sculpture carries something of the energy of nature and its maker. The characteristic raw finish invites touch and recalls the weathered textures of sandstone cliffs and ancient artefacts.
Born in the UK and raised in South Africa, Jan has worked with clay for over 20 years, developing her practice under South African ceramicists Barbara Jackson and Karen Scott. Following a career in graphic design, interior styling and art direction, she began working with clay full-time in her Melbourne studio in 2019.
artist statement
My work explores the transformation of an idea into a physical form through the manipulation and building of clay. There is something tangible and permanent in this process — taking something held in the imagination and giving it form through the hands.
Each piece carries something of the energy of nature and its maker — a connection between the material, the hands that shape it and the passage of time.
Working with clay also brings an awareness of the earth and its resources. I strive to make choices that respect the material and its origins, creating pieces intended to be lived with, admired and passed on for generations..
EXHIBITIONS
Shortlisted for the Omnia Art awards 2026
NGV Melbourne Design Week - Tall Poppy - Kelli Lindberg Gallery 2026
Distant Districts - Dave Kulesza Gallery 2025
Shortlisted for the Omnia Art awards 2024
Chasing change – Group exhibition Modern Times 2023
Grayscale – Group exhibition Becker Minty 2023
Interconnected – Group exhibition Anfisa 2023
Shortlisted for the Omnia Art awards 2023
A gentle unwinding – Group exhibition Modern Times 2022
Lodestars and Moonstones – Solo exhibition Mr Minty’s 2022
Art series – Group exhibition Tigmi trading 2022
White at the end of the tunnel – Group exhibition Mr Minty’s 2022
PINK – Group exhibition Becker Minty 2021
Shortlisted for the The Design Files + Laminex Awards 2021
Talismans, Rafts, Mementos – Group exhibition Modern Times 2020
Artist in Focus – Solo exhibition Mondern Times 2020
Shortlisted for the Victorian Craft Awards established by Craft Victoria 2019
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, the traditional custodians of this land. I pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.