Photo Credit: Andrew Sikorski, Art Atelier

Fran Romano, The Space Between, 2018, Stoneware ceramic, oxides, glaze, h15 w25 d18 cm

Fran Romano, The Space Between, 2018, Stoneware ceramic, oxides, glaze, h15 w25 d18 cm Photo Credit: Andrew Sikorski, Art Atelier

MUTABILIS

ANNE MASTERS, ZOE SLEE, FRAN ROMANO, LINDA DAVY, SUE HEWAT

2 JUNE - 23 JUNE 2018

10AM TO 4PM, TUESDAY TO SATURDAY

We are thrilled to have Dr Patsy Hely, Artist & Educator, to officially launch the exhibition at 3pm, Saturday 2 June 2018.

mutabilis  (Latin – changeable) – There is a rose also called ‘Mutabilis’ and much like ceramics it originated in China. It takes its name because its flowers are in a constant state of changeability, going from yellow to pink to mahogany and many colours inbetween. This rose is valued particularly because of its ability to produce flowers over a long period.

This exhibition features ceramics by five members of Claybodies

The Claybodies Group, formed primarily from Canberra artists, now has 55 members.  It’s aims are to provide a forum for support and information; exchange and engage in critical dialogue and discussion on ceramic art practice through group critique sessions; monitor current events in the ceramics/art world; challenge preconceptions about ‘what is ceramics’; showcase and celebrate the material of clay in all it’s diversity; encourage the pursuit of innovation in divergent practises and; utilise the technical knowledge of members through workshops.

ZOË SLEE

Most recently Zoë has been working at Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Centre in Denmark after being awarded an assistantship opportunity, using this time to develop a new body of researched artwork.

Her work focuses on conveying narratives relating to ideas of transformation and change through sculptural and installation based porcelain works that often combine ceramic elements with textiles or wood.  She explores the idea of liminal spaces, making objects that are both singular and multiple simultaneously.  Using the qualities of porcelain – strength and fragility.  I aim to make hand crafted sculptural objects that question easy binaries such as art/craft.  These sculptures sit in transition zones, engaging with both the living and the dead, the hard and soft,  function and sculpture occupying the borderlines of all these things, while committing to none.

Zoë Slee’s project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

FRAN ROMANO

This body of work references the churches and shrines on the Greek island of Skopelos, where Fran undertook an artist residency in 2017.

This experience allowed Fran to further investigate recurrent themes of loss, longing and nostalgia and more recently, their intersection with concepts of ritual, memory and remembrance.

Struck by the prevalence of roadside shrines and small churches on the island she was inspired to explore the ritual or devotional act, which has been of interest in past travels. This act creates a concrete and meaningful framework for our intangible feelings and thoughts. It creates a marker in the infinite expanse of moments past and those yet to come. A reflection on the duality of life; the tangible and intangible.

Light and dark. Rough and smooth. Form and the void. Time and timelessness.

The colours and architecture of the island intersect with her love of archaeology and history in the development of these forms.

With these arrangements, Fran aims to create a quiet, contemplative space for the viewer.

LINDA DAVY

What happens when you mix clay with sounds ?

Linda has shaped acoustic ceramic vessels from a variety of clays including porcelain, stoneware and terracotta. The semi-abstracted shapes are influenced by the Australian floral landscape and glazed with an experimental approach to surface decoration and layers of colour. A visual representation of the sound of each vessel has literally been scored into the surface through carving of the clay at the leather hard stage of drying. 

In reaction to the fast pace and sensory overstimulation of contemporary urban life, she creates situations where critical listening is encouraged to promote slowness, mindful contemplation, and social interaction in both galleries and public spaces.

The move to the abstraction of natural forms is a progression from the realistic birds that were the focus of Linda’s previous practice.

ANNE MASTERS

I think about ceramics all day and all night – hence AM PM Ceramics – the name of my practice. It’s also my potters mark Anne Masters Potters Mark which goes onto every piece
I design and make in my studio in the leafy suburb of Watson, Canberra. The clay I primarily work with is Australian – Southern Ice Porcelain. It’s a vivid white and has translucence qualities when made in finer use. My recent work has been the exploration of birds in our backyards/neighbourhoods. I make small, hand held birds slip cast and pierced with a pattern. I also make small dishes glazed in a soft celadon pale green and bespoke jewellery.

SUE HEWAT

Sue Hewat’s work is about the beach, particularly the intertidal zone and the transient nature of the ebb and flow of the tide. By carefully considering the design elements of shape, colour, pattern and texture, Sue aims to represent the layers, lines and threads that are evident on the shore. She blends wheel thrown ceramic forms with her own clay slip painterly monoprints, carving and glaze to create objects that portray intuitive impressions of the fluctuating sea, sand and tidelines.