A GREAT AND WONDROUS SIGN

Artist Statement

We all have an instinct to seek guidance and ask questions of the future, especially during periods of uncertainty. Throughout history, people have looked upward, outward, and inward for signs of what lies ahead. A GREAT AND WONDROUS SIGN inhabits that same space of questioning. Searching for answers and holding tension between hope and apprehension, faith and doubt.

This is mirrored in materiality, combining the longevity and certainty of clay with the ephemeral freedom of raffia. These materials work in tandem to create works that stand confidently together while having an individual flare.

We are all searching for signals of the future, forever looking up to the stars.

Artist Biography

Alfred Lowe’s practice centres on ceramics and fibre sculptures, exploring themes of identity, land and the intersection of cultural practice and the modern world. His work is deeply influenced by his upbringing in Central Australia, where the political and racial complexities of Alice Springs coexist with a strong sense of community, creativity and connection to place.

 Alfred explores these often clashing ideals alongside his identity, culture and relationship with country. He hand builds forms using the coil method, creating figurative sculptures and vessels, and applies underglazes and mark-making to the surfaces. The woven fibre elements are informed by traditional cultural practices that have been adapted and expanded to create contemporary sculptures.

He was awarded as winner of the 2025 Rigg Design Prize at the National Gallery of Victoria, and has been a finalist in notable awards such as the Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia (2023, 2025), Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2025), Shelley Simpson Ceramics Award (2024), NATSIA, and Shepparton Art Museum Ceramics Award (2022). 

His works are held in public and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Shepparton Art Museum, Art Gallery of Ballarat, and Artbank.

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