Locke Jean-Luc Unhold (previously working under the name Lindsay Doebler) is originally from the United States and lived in a variety of places including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Minnesota, and Chicago.

Unhold earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota. He majored in English Literature and minored in IT and Anthropology, focusing on Linguistics. Literature still is a large influence on his ceramic work to this day.

In 2013, he moved to Gisborne and began working as a freelance writer. In 2016 he moved to Dunedin and shortly after took his first night class in ceramics at the Dunedin School of Art. He fell fast and hard for the medium and joined the Otago Potters Group to continue practicing and working in clay. At the encouragement of his fellow members, Unhold started the New Zealand Diploma of Arts and Design: Ceramics in 2018, part-time.

During his study at the Dunedin School of Art, Unhold came out as transgender and began his transition, including adopting his new name. His queer and transgender identity continues to be a main influence on his work.

In 2019 he joined the Stuart Street Potters’ Co-op in Dunedin, where he continues to sell his work. In 2020, he was hired as the Ceramics Technician at the Dunedin School of Art where he helps keep the studio running smoothly. His favourite part of the job is testing and maintaining the community-available glazes. Also in 2020 he had the honour of displaying work at UKU Clay Hawke’s Bay, Kina Gallery’s annual CUPS exhibition, and a local exhibition on Men’s Mental Health in Dunedin.

In 2021 Unhold completed the Level 6 NZDAD in Ceramics.

He currently lives in Dunedin with two cats, four chickens, and a bunch of fish and snails.

Spanning both functional ware and sculptural art, his work often tackles issues of queer identity. He is known for his sculptural, cartoon-inspired ‘goblin’ heads that speak to his experiences as a transgender man and his experiences with mental illness. He primarily works in stoneware and gas-fired reduction.