New artwork for the British Ceramics Biennia

Johnny Vegas has created an ‘avenue of hugs’ for this year's British Ceramics Biennial.

The comedian and ceramicist has created the installation with  sculptor Emma Rodgers and locals from Stoke-on-Trent, where the exhibition opens on September 6.

Organisers say the work, entitled Just Be There,’records fleeting moments, fixing hugs into clay and making them permanent’ and ‘addresses the beauty and transience of physical contact and interaction’.

After walking through the avenue, visitors will arrive at a wall of unfired clay, on which anyone feeling strong emotions – including  anxiety, anger or grief – can make their mark.

Vegas said: ‘The wall is an invitation to those who don’t get art, to those who are unhappy, to those who feel bitterness. It’s an invitation to tell it to the wall – to let it out on the wall and do something a bit destructive.

‘Once they’ve done that, they can walk back through the avenue without resentment for love and contentment.’

‘Let it out, by all means let it out, but never let go of love. Never let go of that hug.’

Vegas originally trained in art and ceramics at the University of Middlesex and returned to the craft during the pandemic.  He says his work draws on his experiences  of living with ADHD. 

The hugged forms from Just Be There will be for sale for £800 each with proceeds going back to British Ceramics Biennial, an arts charity, which funds projects year-round as well as staging this six-week celebration of clay and ceramics at Spode Works in Stoke.

Vegas and Rodgers will be in conversation at a British Ceramic  Biennial event on October 18.

Published: 1 Sep 2025