Ceramics in the collection

Hiroe Swen (1934-)

Ceramic vessel

Donated from the estate of Marjorie Lamb (Alumna 1920)

Hiroe Swen born in Kyoto, Japan, began studying ceramics at the Kyoto Crafts Institute in 1957, having already practised as a successful textile artist.

By 1962 she had established her own studio in Kyoto.

Hiroe met Cornel Swen in Kyoto in 1966 and after their marriage they moved to Australia in 1968. In 1970, the Swens moved to live in the hills called Bimbimbi, on the outskirts of Queanbeyan, near Canberra. Hiroe Swen exhibited regularly in her own gallery, the Pastoral Gallery, as well as across Australia and in Japan. In 2016 she was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Government of Japan, recognising her significant achievements in ceramics as an artist, and as an educator for her contribution to the promotion of Japanese culture, and her promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and Australia.