Elena Renker

New Zealand | Potter

Elena is an award-winning potter based in Auckland.  She creates unique functional ware in the Japanese ceramic style of Shino and Shigaraki. Born in Germany, Elena was first introduced to pottery in 1977 at the Golden Bridge Pottery run by Ray and Debra Meeker in Pondicherry, India. She then took lessons at Auckland Studio Potters and completed a Diploma in Ceramic Art at the Otago Polytechnic.

Her focus is on making functional ware that can be used in everyday life. “I aim to make work that is beautiful to look at, feels good in the hand and is pleasant to use. I think functional wares should be made with their purpose in mind, a vase should enhance the beauty of the flowers, not compete with it, and a bowl or plate should complement the food served in it.

Elena says, “My aim is not perfection, on the contrary, my belief is that imperfections make the bowls come alive, make them easier to relate to, make them more human. Nature’s perfection has its own asymmetry.”