“THE NOWEST OF THE NOW WOWEST OF THE WOW,” may be my favourite of Ruan Hoffmann‘s musings. The South African born ceramic artist uses his roughly made plates for political commentary. He doesn’t hold back. “YOU BORE ME.” “I WON’T LISTEN.” “FAKE IT OR FUCK OFF.” The plates are beautiful, made from paper clay, and intricately painted. The work is raw and honest and bracing.

Margo Selby is widely available, (West Elm carries her pieces) but still very much committed to traditional hand weaving techniques. Textiles are woven into her life story, with a childhood spent crocheting, knitting and cross stitching with her grandmother. “My family have always had a tradition of women making textiles at home,” says the U.K. native. Her work is bold and joyful, with intricate patterns that play with geometry and repetition. “When I’m designing a rug, I treat the format as my canvas to create a piece of functional art.”

Tammy Kanat‘s weaves asymmetrical ovals of colourful wool, linen, and silk. To me, they look like giant eyes with layers of moss green, vermilion and lapis blue. Iris comes directly from the Greek word Iris, which means ‘rainbow’. There is so much rich detail in the texture and colour of each one. “I often refer to my work, and it’s process like reading the chapters in a novel and not knowing what happens at the end until I finish the book,” says Kanat. “Not knowing the end of the story keeps me curious and motivated.”