Arty Nicharee is a visual artist, maker, and creative facilitator.
Originally from Bangkok and now based in London, the artist and a graduate from the Royal College of Art uses illustration, graphics, and ceramics to trace the contours of memory, femininity, queerness, and the diasporic experience.
Arty Nicharee works in ceramics and visual practice. Her work is shaped by questions of cultural transmission, how meaning moves through objects, and what is lost or transformed when that movement crosses contexts.
Her recent work focuses on East and Southeast Asian material culture and the particular tension of objects whose significance is bound to ritual and place. When such objects enter a Western gallery, their meaning doesn't simply travel with them; it is renegotiated, often quietly, often without acknowledgement. Her practice sits inside that negotiation, not to resolve it, but to hold it open.
A related question runs through her making: whether durability and ritual function can coexist in the same object, or whether making the ephemeral permanent quietly surrenders the gesture. She works with hand-built forms that carry the trace of the hand precisely because the hand is part of what is being transmitted across cultures, across generations, across the distance between use and display.
Her recent work focuses on East and Southeast Asian material culture and the particular tension of objects whose significance is bound to ritual and place. When such objects enter a Western gallery, their meaning doesn't simply travel with them; it is renegotiated, often quietly, often without acknowledgement. Her practice sits inside that negotiation, not to resolve it, but to hold it open.
A related question runs through her making: whether durability and ritual function can coexist in the same object, or whether making the ephemeral permanent quietly surrenders the gesture. She works with hand-built forms that carry the trace of the hand precisely because the hand is part of what is being transmitted across cultures, across generations, across the distance between use and display.
Featured Work
TAVI Roastery
TAVI Roastery
“Attentive Nourishing Imaginative”
TAVI is a coffee brand that is inspired by a rural village in northern Thailand where almost every villager is working in the coffee field. I collaborate with the local distributor, the farmer and interior design studio to design a new branding and help them promote the local coffee industry.
TAVI is a coffee brand that is inspired by a rural village in northern Thailand where almost every villager is working in the coffee field. I collaborate with the local distributor, the farmer and interior design studio to design a new branding and help them promote the local coffee industry.
‘House’ Exhibition at County Hall Pottery
This project explores the integration of Thai Malai, or traditional flower garlands, into a series of functional ceramic household objects. By reinterpreting the intricate form and deep cultural meaning of the Malai, I created a collection that brings a sense of warmth, respect, and vibrant energy into the domestic space, particularly during the colder, darker months.
The Malai is more than a decorative object; it is a powerful symbol of respect, welcome, and hospitality in many Southeast Asian cultures. The act of giving a Malai is an expression of honour, often used to welcome guests, pay homage to elders, or celebrate significant occasions.
This project seeks to translate that feeling of welcome and reverence into tangible, everyday objects that enrich the home environment. The process of creating a Malai, meticulous stringing of individual blossoms, is a meditative practice that demands patience and attention. This ties into the very nature of ceramics, which also requires a slow, deliberate, and thoughtful process. Through this project, I explored the parallel themes of patience and impermanence, transforming the ephemeral beauty of fresh flowers into durable, lasting forms.
Selected Works