Born in Toronto in 1958, ceramicist Kristin McKirdy is known for her flat-cut geometric volumes, in which dull and rough skins contrast sharply with sleek, gleaming, and colorful cores. Surgically precise with her glazes and textures, McKirdy’s work revolves around the vocabulary of ceramics – clay returns to the authentic primeval “containers” that trace empty space with highly charged symbolism, referencing the nourishing earth and human figure.
In 2020, McKirdy was granted the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2023, named one of the finalists of the prestigious Loewe Craft Prize. Her work has been acquired into the permanent collections of numerous institutions, including Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP), Paris; Musée National de Sèvres-Cité de la Céramique, Sèvres; Musée National Adrien Dubouché, Limoges; Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), Paris; and Gardiner Museum, Toronto.
McKirdy lives and works in Fontainbleau, France.
