To celebrate 25 Years of Gay Pride in Hull 2026, at a time when identity, memory, and cultural history remain fiercely contested, Studio Eleven Gallery presents Provocative Pots — a bold new exhibition of ceramic works by Liverpool-based artist, Simon Dredge. Through clay, porcelain, slips, image, and narrative, the exhibition confronts the enduring overlap of queerness, visibility, politics, and survival.
Simon Dredge approaches ceramics as an archaeological act — excavating hidden histories embedded within queer culture. Working primarily in porcelain, Dredge incorporates photographic imagery, acrylic paint, ceramic glaze, and watercolour into layered surfaces that evoke both intimacy and erasure. His work is particularly inspired by Polari, the coded underground language historically used within Britain’s gay community as protection against persecution and criminalisation.
“History is a fabric woven with stories that should never be forgotten,” says Dredge.
The shadow and influence of Derek Jarman permeate the provocation — not simply as homage, but as a reminder of art’s capacity to confront political hostility with honesty and beauty. In an era marked by renewed debates around identity, censorship, and belonging,
To celebrate 25 Years of Gay Pride in Hull 2026, at a time when identity, memory, and cultural history remain fiercely contested, Studio Eleven Gallery presents Provocative Pots — a bold new exhibition of ceramic works by Liverpool-based artist, Simon Dredge. Through clay, porcelain, slips, image, and narrative, the exhibition confronts the enduring overlap of queerness, visibility, politics, and survival.
Simon Dredge approaches ceramics as an archaeological act — excavating hidden histories embedded within queer culture. Working primarily in porcelain, Dredge incorporates photographic imagery, acrylic paint, ceramic glaze, and watercolour into layered surfaces that evoke both intimacy and erasure. His work is particularly inspired by Polari, the coded underground language historically used within Britain’s gay community as protection against persecution and criminalisation.
“History is a fabric woven with stories that should never be forgotten,” says Dredge.
The shadow and influence of Derek Jarman permeate the provocation — not simply as homage, but as a reminder of art’s capacity to confront political hostility with honesty and beauty. In an era marked by renewed debates around identity, censorship, and belonging,