Ironshroom Pottery Studio was founded in 2023 by Aby Emmet Shaw (b.1995) and Iris Chen Qin (b.1998) while pursuing their Master’s degrees at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Shaw originally studied chemistry before shifting his path to apprentice under renowned ceramic artists Nic Collins and Sabine Nemet. He later worked in a hand-made flower pot factory and has since traveled to Japan and Jingdezhen for advanced ceramic research.

Chen was trained in Experimental Art at the China Academy of Art. Her practice navigates between fictional narrative and material remains.

To date, the duo has collaborated with restaurants to produce bespoke dinnerware, conducted extensive research on local clay sources on Lamma Island, and built a wood-fired kiln, which they fueled using fallen wood salvaged from typhoons.

Their work embodies themes of sustainability, ecology, and slow-growth. Through experimental approaches in ceramic art, they integrate spirituality with utility, treating each object as a relic of both the present and the future.