Embroidered Object, Blue. I have spent considerable time developing a method where I can rework and apply patterns inspired by old textiles, such as handkerchiefs, curtains, and tablecloths, onto clay. I then embroider these patterns onto porcelain objects inspired by classic urns or vase forms. The purpose is to explore the demands, craftsmanship, and knowledge within the home from a female perspective, elevating craft traditions that have historically had lower status and making them more accessible. This is an attempt to see what happens when different traditional crafts are combined and whether a new context can change how we interpret decorative craftsmanship. I want to understand how we value various craft traditions depending on the group historically associated with them and find value in combining porcelain with other, unexpected materials. This becomes a method for examining how these combinations influence how we perceive objects and materials, and whether we can reassess our biases.

Broderade Objekt, Blå. Jag har lagt mycket tid på att utveckla en metod där jag kan omarbeta och applicera mönster med inspiration från gamla textilier, så som näsdukar, gardiner och dukar jag hittat på lera och sedan brodera mönstret på föremål i porslin inspirerade av en klassik prakturna eller en vasform. Syftet är att utforska krav, konsthantverk och kunskap i hemmet från ett kvinnligt perspektiv, lyfta hantverkstraditioner som historiskt sett haft en längre status och göra det mer tillgängligt. Det här är ett försök att se vad som händer när man kombinerar olika traditionella hantverk med varandra, och om en ny kontext kan förändra hur vi läser dekorativt hantverk. Jag vill förstå hur vi värdesätter olika hantverkstraditioner beroende på vilken grupp som historiskt har förknippats med den, och ser ett värde i att kombinera porslin med andra, oväntade material. Det blir en metod för att undersöka vad möten gör med hur vi läser objektet och material, och om vi kan omvärdera våra fördomar.

Caroline Harrius (b. 1993, Linköping) is a ceramicist based in Stockholm. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medium- and Material-Based Art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and a Master’s degree in Craft from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design. In her artistic practice, Harrius engages with questions surrounding gender hierarchies within craft history and how these structures continue to influence her work in a contemporary context. She works from her studio at the former porcelain factory in Gustavsberg, G-studion. In her practice, Harrius explores humble domestic objects imbued with knowledge and nostalgia—such as crocheted curtains and embroidered pillows. These crafts are historically linked to women’s work and the private sphere, traditions she once dismissed as merely decorative and peripheral to fine art. By combining techniques associated with the home with ceramic processes, she recontextualizes these traditions and examines how their value shifts depending on the social and historical groups connected to them. Central to Harrius’s work is an investigation of craft traditions associated with women’s labour and how they are valued today. Through examining her own biases, she has observed how practices tied to femininity, domesticity, and decoration have often been undervalued. Her work seeks to bring visibility to the skill, care, and craftsmanship embedded in these objects—many of which have been confined to the home and dismissed as insignificant. Harrius reflects on hierarchies within domestic spaces and on women’s historical relationship to decoration as a discreet form of creative expression. While decoration is accepted as long as it serves the home, the labour behind it often remains invisible. By merging textile traditions and decorative porcelain with contemporary ceramic sculpture, Harrius foregrounds this hidden work, inviting reflection on value, labour, and the politics of taste.