Correspondence

Exhibition Statement 

Jude Muduioa’s sculptural practice explores belonging, migration and the ways people are connected to one another through shared histories, memory and place. Working primarily in stoneware, she creates intricate monochromatic ceramic sculptures built from hundreds of individually made components. Through repetition and careful assembly, the work reflects on the relationships that shape both personal and collective identity.

This body of work continues Muduioa’s interest in accumulation as both a making process and a way of thinking. Each element is formed by hand before becoming part of a larger whole, where no single component dominates. The restrained surface allows form, light and shadow to take precedence, drawing attention to the rhythm, detail and quiet complexity of the work. The process is slow and deliberate, valuing patience, care and sustained making.

While informed by Muduioa’s own experience of migration and cultural inheritance, these sculptures speak more broadly to the universal search for belonging. They consider how identity is built over time through relationships, lived experience and the places we inhabit. Through the accumulation of many individual forms, the work suggests that strength is found not in the singular, but in the collective, inviting viewers to reflect on the connections that shape our lives.

Artist Biography

Jude Muduioa is a New Zealand-born ceramic artist based in Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia. Of Māori, Scottish and Manx descent, her sculptural practice explores belonging, migration and identity through the relationships that shape individuals and communities.

Working primarily in stoneware, Muduioa creates intricate sculptures composed of hundreds of individually made ceramic elements. Through repetition and careful assembly, her work examines the tension between the individual and the collective, using form, rhythm, light and shadow to encourage contemplation.

Muduioa holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Otago and a Diploma in Professional Photography from the Southern Institute of Technology, New Zealand. She has undertaken mentorships with Simon Levin, Chanakarn Semachai and Clay Cohorts’ Continuum Sculpture Mentorship, and is currently a mentee in The Path Mentorship Program with the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance.

In 2025, Muduioa presented her first solo exhibition, Fragments That Hold, at Artisan. In 2026, she was selected for Artisan’s Unleashed professional development program and exhibition. She is the recipient of the Emerging Artist Prize at the North Coast Ceramics Awards and has been a finalist in The Siliceous Award for Ceramic Excellence, The Swell Small Sculpture Prize, The Bay of Fires Art Prize and The North Queensland Ceramic Awards. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Germany.

All Images | Photography by 5 Foot Photography