Let us introduce you to Sofii Belling Harding, multidisciplinary artist and cherished member of Bisque Studios.
Supported by Creative Australia’s Young People: First Nations Arts & Culture Project Fund, she recently completed a six-week ceramics residency at Yarrabah Arts Centre, on Gunggandji Country, culminating in the debut of her project, ‘maya’ (Curing of Sickness, Yorta Yorta), at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) 2026.
Ceramics is a portal that allows me to shift paradigms, reinscribe narratives, set intentions and invest in my own survival.
With the absence of a First Peoples art centre in Melbourne, as well as First Peoples ceramic mentorship opportunities, Sofii, a Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri, KuKu, South Sea and Meriam woman, has found pursuing her creative passion very difficult and often times disheartening.
The residency brought Sofii into connection with Yarrabah ceramicists and respected Elders Aunty Michelle Yeatman, Aunty Philomena Yeatman and Aunty Edna Ambrym. Working closely alongside the artists, she immersed herself in the rhythms of the studio, developing technical skills while absorbing something far less tangible but infinitely more valuable: the experience of learning within community.
When reflecting on the residency, she says “I was surprised and relieved at what I could achieve when I experienced what it felt like to create in an environment that was grounded in Blak love. There’s nothing that compares to feeling safe, understood and supported by other Blackfullas when you’re trying to unlock and express generations of pain, belonging and strength inside you.”
As the mother of a two-year-old daughter, Sofii sees her practice as part of something bigger. “My practice is my peace, and through it I’m able to gain a deeper and truthful understanding of myself, my family and all those who I belong to…it’s also my cultural responsibility and birthright to pass down as much information as I can to my daughter and in turn, I simultaneously heal parts of myself”
We’re lucky to have Sofii as a member of our ceramics community at Bisque and look forward to seeing the work she continues to produce.
Read more about Sofii’s residency at Yarrabah Arts Centre in these articles from Creative Australia and Vault.