Tiny vases, monstrous sculptures and more: artists challenge our assumptions about pottery at luxury ceramics show in London

Potters from around the world showed off their latest creations at Ceramic Art London, the largest high-end ceramics show in the UK. Returning to the capital for its 21st year, more than 6,000 people were expected to visit to see some of the best ceramic creations on sale. Everywhere you look are beautiful ceramic creations, from functional vases, sculptural pieces, and abstract forms. One of the most striking artists to display this year was Lucy Baxendale, whose interactive display of fantastical monsters impressed the visitors. This friendly-looking ceramic tree monster has a surprise—if you dare to stick your hand inside its mouth (don't worry, he doesn't bite!). By tickling the tonsils at the back of the monster's throat, another head prints out a poetic and inspirational receipt for visitors to consider. Baxendale, originally from Durham in the northeast of England, explains, "Yeah. If you put your hand into the monster's mouth, it will print you out something that you can take away. And my hope is that that kind of spreads out into the world and maybe inspires something else." All of the riddle-like receipts were written by Baxendale, and she collaborated with her father (an electrical engineer) to produce her piece. "What would a broken vase dream about? Sketch the cracked pieces and reassemble them into something new," said one receipt. A show visitor from Peru was blown away by the tree monster and said it was, "Super fun. I think this is amazing. Because behind the complicated work and the kind of like graffiti, tattoo kind of work, you find something very soft." Ceramic Art London is organized each year by the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain and continues to grow in size and importance. It ran from May 9 to 11 at London's Olympia. This article was provided by The Associated Press.