We invite you to delve into tactile spaces, meticulous craftsmanship and revel in these traditions through the contemporary voices of Carina Fisk, Amy-Rose Finch, Emmanuelle Babaud, Keroshin Govender, Rhonda Muller, Jun Chen, Lexie Downie and Raymond Huynh.
Exhibition Statement
Echoes in Clay, celebrates a Gaffa curated collective of locally acclaimed ceramicists. Seamlessly blending techniques rippled through time, this exhibition reveres the enduring practices of hand-building, wheel-throwing and glazing, whilst highlighting conceptual experiments in firing and surface treatment. Echoes in Clay ranges from minimalist designs to bold, expressive forms, with each piece a testament to the artist’s unique journey.
We invite you to delve into tactile spaces, meticulous craftsmanship and revel in these traditions through the contemporary voices of Carina Fisk, Amy-Rose Finch, Emmanuelle Babaud, Keroshin Govender, Rhonda Muller, Jun Chen, Lexie Downie and Raymond Huynh.
Curated by Gaffa Gallery.
This body of work is a response to the persistent murmurs that we often attempt to silence, but I choose to bring them to life in my work. Each piece, a tangible embodiment of the unsettling thoughts I grapple with.
In my practice, I combine the use of wheel thrown forms and sculptural elements to explore the mental terrain where unwelcome thoughts leave traces that shape who you are. Informed by the delicate patterns found in fossils and the otherworldly allure of prehistoric insects, my work draws inspiration from the living world's eerie textures. Each piece, a canvas for the interplay between my personal experiences and the broader complexities of the human psyche.
I aim to create an aesthetic experience that lingers between satisfaction and unease, inviting you into a realm where wonder and disquiet coexist. It’s a delicate balance, achieved through careful consideration of form, colour and texture - a willing embrace of the unknown despite the unsettling whispers.
Legumes are a symbol of nourishment and vitality across cultures. In this collection, I draw attention to their significance as nature's provision of sustenance, and the intricate environment in which our food is cultivated.
Jun Chen is an artist whose practice involves environmental themes and the humanities, using ceramics and photography as primary mediums. Her work examines the environmental changes driven by human actions and the evolving cultural forces behind them.
Five terracotta slabs hover above statues of various family members. My family name “Govender” is written in English, and Tamil on each slab. Though it is the most common Tamil family name in South Africa, it does not exist in Tamil Nadu.
The name came into being through interactions between British officials in Durban, and illiterate indentured labourers arriving from Chennai. It cannot be directly translated into Tamil as certain sounds do not exist in the alphabet. English and Tamil script are overlayed in the palimpsests, attempting to translate each other. Hybrid identities are sometimes described as palimpsests, or inscriptions, erased and overwritten, but retaining traces of the past.
Fragments of life, fragments of identity, fragments of collapsed history. The legacy of the descendants of genocide survivors often consists of broken pieces, traces, shadows, that need to be translated into the realm of representation to restore life and meaning. The translation of those fragments into the language of clay is reflected by the tension, stretching, marking of clay, symbolising the expression of this heritage.
The cracks, the riddles, the whole topography of the pieces, revealing the Earth Flavour of the clay, are so many metaphors of the ruptures, fragmented memories, inexpressible stories, carried from generation to generation. I research the limits of the medium and explore its properties through the movement, leading to abstract forms, expression and transformation of those fragments.
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Through my exploration of the human form, my sculptures seek to capture the profound essence of togetherness and connection. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the concept of human connection became more vital and poignant then ever before. In this time of limited physical contact,
we learnt to find strength in our isolation, whilst longing to hold loved ones close.
My sculptures remind us that human connection can be boundless; the invisible threads of emotion bind us all.
Each work attests to bold and unabashed feelings, as an ode to the raw, unfiltered expressions of love, compassion and empathy. My creative language is sourced from my deep connection to the natural world. Trees, rock formations, beaches and driftwood all translate into my work. The endless, shapes and curves trigger my imagination. Light and shadows reflect my inner thoughts as I build the forms.
The essence of my work is squeezed from the earth itself. I have experimented with clay slips, and engobes, more recently using bold colours. They add a sense of vitality to the works, accentuating the curves and forms within, and the grit and marks carry a tactility which invites viewers to explore and engage with each piece on a sensory level.
With these works I’m exploring the themes of folk magic, generational knowledge and inner power as a salve to modern day life. Working with clay allows me a grounding to the earth and helps me to connect to my ancestors and the past.
My approach to my art making is playful and intuitive, with intention to create functional art objects that have symbolic and spiritual significance. My hope is that these art pieces or even the practice of making revered objects could provide myself and the community with a form of hope and healing.
Spirit vitality: Among the clouds is an artwork created in response towards an artifact held at the Chau Chak Wing Museum (Brush rest in the form of a dragon among rocks 1662-1722). It seeks to respond towards the notion of the ‘copy’, as a concept, act, or process; echoing and paying homage towards the ‘original’ ceramic work, while creating an independent artwork through its departure from the original, or an uncanny ‘copy’.
Holding true to this sentiment, I intend to capture the ‘spirit or character’ of the original, though the retainment of prominent formal elements of the original, whilst imparting the artwork with a new sense of identity or character through the transformative properties of the ceramic medium. Conveying these intentions by identifying the undulating curves and dynamic swirls, as being the prominent formal elements of the original, and reinterpreting what was previously ‘rocks’ in the original, to what are now ‘read’ and perceived as ‘Chinese stylised Clouds’. Intuitively working with the clay to impart its identity through its distinct form, liveliness, repeated motifs, and maker’s marks.
Likewise, through the change in scale (small to large), orientation (from sculpture/object to wall piece installation), surface treatment/material (porcelain to midfire clay with mother of pearl lustre accents), and by changing the singular object to multiple components, the artwork undergoes a transformation, creating its own sense of ‘liveliness’ or distinct identity whilst embodying some semblance of the original. Being in dialogue with the original work and connecting the anonymous maker/original to myself and this artwork centuries later through the timeless medium of Ceramics.
Fractured Innocence portrays the fragility of youth and the inevitable loss of innocence that accompanies the journey into adulthood. In childhood, circumstances often feel beyond our control. Through the use of broken china, my sculpture depicts the challenges of adolescence, illustrating how cataclysmic events can leave children in a fractured state, suffering irreparable damage that they carry into adulthood.
In my work, I use ceramic shards from broken plates to symbolise the fragmented nature of these experiences. By carefully arranging and suspending these shards above a swing, I create a delicate balance between destruction and beauty, chaos and order. This interplay invites the audience to reflect on their own vulnerabilities and the enduring impact of childhood experiences.
The ceramic pieces serve as a metaphor for the harsh realities and emotional scars that come with growing up. They highlight the resilience required to navigate life's challenges and the strength needed to integrate these fragmented pieces into a cohesive whole. Fractured Innocence is a testament to the complex journey of healing, self-discovery and growing up.
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