Biography
Melissa Barker is an established ceramics artist, a qualified French chef and Archaeologist, based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a Master’s of Arts degree in Archaeology focusing on ancient food and ceramics.
As Olivia Barrel so eloquently puts:
“Barker pays homage to a collective material past and draws it into dialogue with an unknowable future. In hand-marbled porcelain, recreated ancient cooking pots and nest-like vessels, we are reminded that our personal, particular time-lines are bound up and convergent in the ancient shared one. Her practice frequently draws two or more of these elements together- with specific emphasis on the archaeological as both method and metaphor for making new ceramic work (Clay Formes, 2023)”. Clay Formes, published in Aug 2023.
Mei 2025, Melissa was invited to officially become a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.
In November 2024 she was one of the finalist of the prestigious Clay awards, which was hosted by Rust and Verde Gallery and organised by the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC).
Melissa presented part of her experimental archaeological dissertation, in 2022, at the ASOR (American Society of Oriental Studies) Online conference.
In November 2021, she won the Premier Award 2021 for her marbled porcelain artwork entitled ’Eclosion’ in the Ceramics South Africa (Western Cape) Regional competition. She has developed a range of distinctive marbled porcelain vessels, as each piece is individually marbled by hand and therefore unique.
In 2019. she was also awarded the Ceramics South Africa (Western Cape) - New Signatures Award.
In August to September 2020, Melissa did a six-week ceramic residency with Andile Dyalvane and Zizipo Poswa of IMISO Studios
In February to March 2020, Melissa participated in an international Ceramics residency ‘Rise’ in France, under the mentorship of Dr Wendy Gers.
In 2017, she was commissioned to re-create ancient ceramics for the National Geographic documentary, Origins.