Ceramic Vase Model “A Frock Will Hide All Those Sticky Out Bits He Said”
Manufactured by Virginia Leonard
New Zealand, 2026
Clay, Lustre, Resin

Measurements
60 × 45 × 55h cm
23,6 × 17,7 × 21,7h in

Edition
Unique piece
Produced by Side Gallery for the Dries Van Noten Foundation

Details
Manufacturer's Label

Concept
A Frock Will Hide All Those Sticky Out Bits He Said (2026) was created with Venice in mind, inspired by Murano. Each tendril carries a glob, a drip, a smudge—evoking cast glass, a chewed sugary lolly, or melting ice. The work is open, inviting viewers to peer inside between the gold and silver crowns, catching fleeting glimpses of colored drips dissolving and disappearing.

Biography
Virginia Leonard (b. Auckland, New Zealand) is an established ceramic artist. In 1990 she obtained a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design, where she later completed a Master in Fine Arts with First Class Honours. Leonard’s ceramic practice emerges from a deeply personal dialogue with her own lived reality. Her works function as representations of her body, conceived as visual articulations of the voicelessness of chronic pain and bodily scarring, while simultaneously responding to a daily need to define and elevate her visual language. Her work is internationally recognised, with presentations at leading design fairs and numerous accolades, including First Runner-up at the Wallace Art Awards (Auckland, 2020) and the Main Prize at the Officine Saffi Award 4 (Milan, 2021).