Jolie Ngo

Jolie Ngo explores the intersection of craft, technology and community. Working from her studio in Santa Barbara, Calif., Ngo expands the boundaries of ceramic art through a multifaceted and playfully subversive approach, stripping away the seriousness often associated with clay traditions and forging a new conceptual and experimental path. Known for blending 3D printing technology with hand-painted, kaleidoscopic imagery, her objects become a composite of patters that simultaneously appear disparate and form familiar landscapes. These hazy gradients reference her interest in digital spaces as places of connection, as well as her Vietnamese American heritage. Faceted forms evoke traditional silk lanterns, while layered textures recall topographic views of rice paddies. Expanding beyond tabletop objects to functional lighting, she continues to shape a new narrative for contemporary ceramics and design. 

Born and raised outside Philadelphia, she holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and master’s degree in fine arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Ngo’s work is in the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, the Everson Museum of Art, the Museum of Rhode Island School of Design and the Carnegie Museum of Art. 

ngojolie.net/ | r-and-company.com/designers/jolie-ngo/ | @jolienope 

In my practice, I work with tools that are digitally forward, utilizing clay 3D printers and other modes of rapid prototyping. With those tools, I am creating pottery objects and illuminated vessels that acknowledge early ceramic traditions while smiling toward the future.

Jolie Ngo, Installation view of Power Clash, 2025. Photo by Logan Jackson, courtesy of the artist and R & Company.

Jolie Ngo, Lantern Vessel in All-Over Print, 2025. Glazed stoneware and luster, 16.5 × 25 × 14 inches. Photo by Logan Jackson, courtesy of the artist and R & Company.