Is there anyone as underrated as Canberra artists?

Perhaps. But there should be a national holiday for the public servants, the universities’ faculty members, the nine-to-fivers, who shed their lanyards after a long day, and proceed to create inspired pieces while the sun sets and Netflix plays in the background.

Wai Ling Yiu, affectionately known as Bling, is an admissions officer by day, and a pottery artist by night. Her ceramic ‘little men’ come in all shapes and forms – teapots, tiny planters, yarn bowls.

Their simple handmade design evokes the traditional Japanese aesthetic, ‘wabi-sabi’, which is centred on finding beauty in transience and imperfection.

Bling’s journey as an artist, forming her brand ‘We Are Made’, was also born from feeling she had one foot in two worlds, but ultimately wanting to send the message that we (as humans) are all “wonderfully made”.

“Sometimes we look at others, especially with the influence of social media, and we forget who we are,” says Bling.

“We want to chase becoming someone else, even though it might be more than what we can handle.

“I make these little men as reminders that we are made specially and wonderfully and with intention.”

Born in Hong Kong, Bling has loved art and design since she was a teenager. But with the limited school subjects on offer, she chose to study fashion. “And I only regret it a little,” she laughs.

After earning her diploma, she worked in fashion in Hong Kong for two and a half years, before the nature of fast fashion inspired a sharp exit from the industry.

“After I quit, I began travelling. I backpacked through Australia [and] I could see that the world is much, much bigger than I thought.”

She found herself in Korea, where the “simple and natural” designs inspired her.

“I think people go through life looking at everyone else’s art, taking bits and pieces to create their own design, which is completely unique.

“For me, the journey has been about finding who I am, and where I should go,” says Bling.

“Growing up in Hong Kong, they never paid much attention to arts. Even in Korea, where there is a focus on art, it’s very competitive. People don’t really have time for it unless you are famous.

“But in Australia, there’s work/life balance, and an appreciation for people’s handmade things and ideas,” she smiles. “Not every country has that.”

Born from two worlds

She returned to Australia in 2014. Throughout her travels, Bling felt she was peering into the windows of other people’s lives, whilst never being at home herself.

“I didn’t belong in Australia. But I also felt that my heart didn’t belong to Hong Kong. I was born in that culture, but I didn’t love that culture. I’m not born in this country, but I love this country. So, I thought, is something wrong in me?”

Five years ago, she arrived in the ACT, as so many do, for work.

“When I first came to Canberra, it was so quiet. I remember it was Christmas. I panicked, standing in the middle of the city, wondering where all the people are.”

With no friends in the city, and nothing to do, Bling came across the Canberra Potters’ Society.

“I joined 10 courses and learnt how to hand build. Wheel building looked so cool, but I was terrible at it,” she laughs. “I decided to do what works for me.”

When deciding what to make, Bling thought of the countless people she had met in her travels, faces who came and went, “moved to different cities, different countries, but the memory of them is always in my head”.

“I take the time to make the little men. I put my heart into shaping them until they’re perfect. And then I give them to other people as a reminder that you are also wonderfully made.”

Bling initially felt pressure to be a fulltime potter. However, moonlighting as an artist landed her perfectly opposite to her place in the fashion industry all those years ago.

“I am never able to make the exact same teapot twice because I am not a factory,” she laughs. “They may look similar but they’re never the same, just like us.

“I don’t take orders. I just make what I want and take it slow. The little men have their purpose and if people like it, they can buy it.”

Made for each other

Bling’s works also remind us that we are made to be with each other. Many of her pieces do not exist in isolation but are coupled as pairs or clusters of little clay people.

A naturally shy person, and also struggling with the language barrier, Bling didn’t expect to be immediately welcomed into the Potters’ Society.

“I thought I was there to buy clay and sit in the back. But people are so friendly! They encourage you,” she says.

“I remember when I was just starting to put the little faces on, and a manager asked if I wanted to join a market, even though I only had 15 little men.

“She gave me a small corner and said to just put them out there. By the end of the day, they were all gone! That’s how I got my start.”

Today, We Are Made has been selected to be part of exhibitions nationwide, including the Australian Ceramics Triennale showcase exhibition in Hobart (2019) and Belco Arts – LIQUID (2020).

Find Bling on Instagram at @we.r.made

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