FORM (English) = FORM (Danish) = AAKAR (Hindi)

An investigation of ceramic form by Bhuvnesh Prasad, Sandra Bowkett and Len Kuhl Jakobsen

Mr Kitly

18 July - 2 August 2015

Quote from the beautifully written room sheet: 

In Sandra's woodfire kiln Bhuvnesh's simple, elegant forms informed by Indian traditions highlight the beauty that occurs when clay an ash under heat alchemize to create luscious rich surfaces. 

It may have been only 3 or 4 years ago that Sandra built her woodfire kiln. It has been richly rewarding to watch the output of her practice in rural Victoria. The ash effect becoming ever more complex but touching ever so lightly on the vessel. Her work with Bhuvnesh is sensitively simple and pure.

And again from the room sheet:
Lene's works are meant to intrigue as being both from the earth and by the hand and ash from Sandra's woodfired kiln.

The ability of a firing technique to explicitly unite the works in this exhibition is a delight.

Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award 2015

Manningham Art Gallery, Doncaster.
15 July - 29 August 2015

Shortlisted and judged by Robert Reason, Curator of European & Australian Decorative Arts at the Art Gallery of South Australia. This year's Manningham Award was a strong selection with range of makers,  techniques, familiar faces and welcome newbies.
Congratulations to Dean Smith whose tall slab vessel, Pine Forest was a quietly impressive vessel of shimmering black metallic glaze, enamel linework and complicated making.

For artist statements, full listing of shortlisted ceramics and better images, Manningham Gallery has produced this online catalogue.

Dean Smith Award Winner

Ted Secombe

Kirsten Perry

Lee Goller

Sue Robey - Acquired

Amy Kennedy

Kate Jones

Dawn Vachon

Varuni Kanagasundarum

Yvette De Lacy

And for further acquisitions:

Iriana Kanelopollou  - Acquired

Prue Venables - Acquired

David Ray: Trickster

Anna Pappas Gallery
7 April - 9 May 2015

Exciting solo exhibition by David Ray at his new gallery-home Anna Pappas.
Ray continues to play loosey-goosey with his construction technique this time using torn clay pieces.
This construction give the work a light touch and dynamic energy that would make Duchamp & Boccioni proud.
Trickster also includes his familiar vessel works, loaded with decal and hand painted details.

Gallery view

Gargantuan

Ivan Grape

Figure 1

Flowers

Some old modernist fellas

Jester

Urn

Oxygen

DAVID RAY: TRICKSTER
A sense of fragility and slap-dash nonchalance plays out among this fantastic new collection of ceramic sculptures by David Ray. His urns, vessels and figures draw upon traditional, finely honed techniques and skill sets, only to subvert and generally screw around with form. His figures are wonderfully deft and sophisticated in their sense of proportion and gesture, yet their details and construction – shavings, flakes and blobs of earthenware – are unlikely in their messiness. Some of the vessels utilise found objects and decals, while other bask in bizarre, abstracted enamel detailing. The figures take a particularly larrikin form – as the show's title alludes – and are a highlight. NGV curator Max Delany wasn't wrong when he recently suggested that wonky ceramics were the new video, but an artist like Ray shows the difference between good and bad grunge. These works are astute and chaotic, clever and goofy; we read them as fragile, antiquated objects and unapologetic shits and giggles.
Until May 9; Anna Pappas Gallery, 2-4 Carlton Street, Prahran, 9521 7300, annapappasgallery.com


Quoted: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/whats-on-in-melbourne-galleries-20150413-1mjqoe.html#ixzz3XtfJspQ9

Nearness: Anna Varendorff & Kim Jaegar

Mr Kitly
17 March - 3 May 2015

Approximately once a month Andrew Basement sends out his latest blog entry: Past Imperfect, the art of inventive repair. Historical ceramics that have suffered a major injury are carefully & creatively cajoled into service again with the addition of metal rivets, straps & wires. An ingenious metal worker performs the miracle of putting 'humpty back together again'.

Anna Varendorff & Kim Jaeger's recent exhibition Nearness at Mr Kitly reminds me of the intimate collaboration that Past Imperfect blog celebrates. Similarly Varendorff''s brass wire and ribbon plays the supportive role, acknowledging ceramic weight & its dodgy ability to stand sturdily unless flat bottomed. Varendorff's brass additions also add to the whimsy by framing the assemblage, adding angel-like hallows or caliper-like suports to Jaeger's 'disabled' figures. Known for her Pot Heads range, Jaegar's hapless figures seem curiously happy with their lot in life. The ceramic colour scheme beautifully compliments Varendorff's brass.

I enjoy that this exhibition had the process of collaboration at the creative heart of these assemblages. Neither clay nor metal would be complete without its buddy-material near to complete it. Nearness makes a 'ponderance' of what came first, the vessel from the kiln then the metal to enfold, I imagine!

Jo & Alex

Philip

Luca

Otto

Serena & Luca

Odion

Interplay: aesthetic charm, material challenge

Skepsi Gallery @ Malvern Artist's Society Gallery

25 April - 10 May 2015

Anna Maas brings together many of her favourite potters & ceramicist with a few new names. All works exemplify the skill of the material and a technique often unique to them.

Partcularly enjoyed Sue Robey's figurines which did truly 'interplay' with each other.

Images hopefully show relationship between the groupings of the makers works.

Sue Robey

Kenji Uranishi

Amy Kennedy

Janetta Kerr Grant

Irianna Kanellopoulou

Tim Clarkson

Tatiana Gvozdetskaya

Simone Fraser

Michelle Ussher: Is it your body I hold in my arms or the sea?

Station Gallery
24 April - 23 May 2015

 Fascinated by this artist's visual symbolic expression across an ever increasing range of material.
First spied her work in Melbourne Now, such ethereal, soft portraits in ceramics. This solo exhibition at Station.