Rika Herbst is a South African ceramic artist, researcher, writer, and cultural producer whose practice explores memory, material culture, heritage, and cultural exchange through porcelain. She established her ceramic studio practice in 2003 and has since developed an internationally exhibited body of work characterised by texture, translucency, atmospheric surfaces, carving, piercing, and layered construction.
Her work is represented in institutional and museum collections in South Africa, China, Korea, Slovenia, Croatia, Portugal, and Romania. She has participated in international exhibitions, competitions, symposia, and residencies, including recent residencies at the Ding Kiln White Porcelain Contemporary Ceramics Art Centre in Quyang and Taoxichuan International Clay Studio in Jingdezhen, China.
Her 2026 Quyang residency marked a significant development in her practice. Working within the historical context of Ding ware, she developed Layered Histories, an ongoing body of research investigating how historical surfaces, motifs, and material traces can be translated into contemporary porcelain. Chinese Zodiac Hierarchy emerged as a pivotal work from this research and established a new direction towards larger-scale, layered porcelain forms.
Alongside her studio practice, Herbst is committed to developing ceramic discourse and cultural exchange. She founded ClayConnect, produces and presents ClayChat, and has contributed to the development of the South African Clay Awards. Her writing includes contributions to Studio Potter and forthcoming writing for New Ceramics magazine.
She holds a BA in Art and Ancient History and a BA Honours in Ancient Near Eastern History, both from the University of South Africa, and is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.