[24] Occupation (2026) by Mud Rock Ceramics

Mud Rock Ceramics’ Michelle describes her work and creative process:

Growing up in the 80s, the memories of World War 2 were never too distant. My grandparents and especially my great grandma took every opportunity to tell me and my sister anecdotes of those cruel times. From hiding in the jungles of Perak, to the collection of rice grains outside the drains of wealthier families, and enduring being fed human flesh. Nothing was sanitised, not even if it was for a 10-year-old and her 7-year-old sister.

Because these stories were tied to actual living habits in our family, we didn’t just listen but internalised them too. I don’t think they shared those things to intentionally traumatise us, but it has created a genuine struggle between my own identity (as a descendant of the once occupied) and the beautiful culture so much of the world romanticises and admires. The ceramic vase for ‘Occupation’ is an abstraction of those feelings.

Romanticised images of Japan, such as drawings of cherry blossoms and Japanese stylised waves, are applied all over the body of the vase, then overlapped with glazes that use copper, iron and manganese as colourants. What comes out of the kiln is a vase with gradients of green, red and black, obscuring most of the underlying Japanese images.

Specifications:
– Medium: Stoneware, 24K gold foil, hand-painted cherry blossoms, copper, iron and manganese glazes, reduction-fired three times
– Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 22 cm (L x B x H cm)
– Auction winner will receive a physical certificate of confirmation. We will reach out within 5 working days after the event to make delivery arrangements.

About Occupation:
Occupation by Huzir Sulaiman weaves the true story of Huzir’s grandmother, Mrs Mohamed Siraj, with the experiences of the fictional character Sarah. As a young woman in her teens during the war years, Mrs Siraj spent most of the occupation sequestered in her large family home. Later, in her eighties, Mrs Siraj is interviewed by Sarah, a bureaucrat tasked with collating Singapore’s oral history. Looking back, Sarah struggles with questions about her own life in modern-day Singapore.

Occupation was first produced by Checkpoint Theatre in 2002 as a Singapore Arts Festival commission, and later presented in 2012 by the National Museum of Singapore in collaboration with Checkpoint Theatre.

“There are flashes of deep, profound humanity in the moving love story… [Huzir] Sulaiman is one of the best wordsmiths in local theatre …”

— The Straits Times, SG

About Mud Rock Ceramics:
Mud Rock is a ceramic studio based in Singapore, founded by ceramics artists Ng Seok Har and Michelle Lim, who have each been practising ceramics professionally for over 17 years.

We are makers of mud and clay who bond over the love of beautiful ceramics that serve us daily. From multiple bowls to a single sculpture, we find a never-ending joy in making, exploring and serving with clay.

With our own kilns, glaze laboratory and equipment, we are able to produce works, glaze formulas and even clay types for specific needs. Though dedicated to our craft, we believe in collaborations to see how our medium can complement others and to learn from those experiences.

Our current clientele comprises restaurants, design companies, architecture firms, government bodies, corporate organisations, and the quirky individual. With over 14 years of experience in the ceramics industry locally and internationally, we provide consultation on various ceramics projects as well.

With tongue-in-cheek, Mud Rock is named in reference to the local sub-culture of ‘Mat Rok’ in Singapore, as ceramic craft too is often teased as a sub-culture of the Arts. Michelle Lim and Ng Seok Har both fell in love with pottery on their individual journeys before coming together.

Driven by a lifelong love for the arts, Ng Seok Har left the banking industry to reinvest and develop her skills in ceramics making. Her journey in pottery started in Tokyo, Japan. Returning to Singapore, she continued her training intensively with a local potter, Jaqueline Low, before taking on an apprenticeship with a Thai ceramics production house under the guidance of the renowned Thai master, Somluk Pantiboon. Since then, Seok has been a full-time potter in Mud Rock and has exhibited locally and internationally as well.

As a professional ceramicist, craftsperson and maker, Michelle is versatile and cross-disciplinary. She has been an industrial designer and educator of youth at risk, for which she has received awards, and has exhibited in several local and international solo and group ceramic shows. During her Ceramics Degree, she was awarded the much-coveted Sir Geoffrey Yeend Scholarship, and completed her Bachelor’s majoring in Ceramics with First Class Honours at the Australian National University. She has been practising ceramics for over 15 years now. As the co-founder of Awaken the Dragon, Singapore’s ceramics festival, Michelle has given TED talks on Ceramics in Singapore and also guest lectured at Art and Design schools in Singapore.

“To hear Ng Seok Har and Michelle Lim talk about pottery is to experience love. They wax lyrical about how a vase is made, from the kneading and throwing of the clay, to bestowing it a form on the wheel, till it’s baptised by fire in the kiln.”

— “Obsessed Much: Ceramics” by Esquire Singapore

Mud Rock Ceramics Founders describe their work and creative process:
“If we can’t appreciate the beauty and craft behind a cup we use and hold to our lips daily, how can we understand fine art cases in museums?” [Mud Rock Ceramics] wanted to show others a connection between ceramics as a functional utility and an artistic object.

— Tatler Asia