I have been invited to show five ceramic pieces in this new exhibition, along with a small group of other sculptors who also use fired clay as part of their practice.
My sculptures are imagined deities of evolution. Like Life itself, their surface patterns are cellular, making up emerging forms that might develop into the biodiversity of the living world. Although science has given us an understanding of the biological processes of life, we seem unable to hold it sacred as our early ancestors once did, the result being the impending ecological crises that confront us today.
RWA Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road, Clifton,Bristol
26 March – 12 May 2024
DREAMING IN FIRE
“I dream in fire but work in clay” – Arthur Machen
In this exhibition, curated by Patricia Volk, six artists are given the space specifically to show off the breadth of possibilities offered by this versatile, age-old material. Each of them are drawn to the directness of working with the medium, disposing of the need for an intermediary – whether foundry or fabricator. With clay the artist is literally hands-on. You can move on or start again. Destroy or keep building. It can work with you or against you. Slow you down or put a fire in your belly. And that is enormously refreshing (and risky) for even the most experienced practitioners.
Exhibitors:
Jon Buck RWA FRSS
Dorcas Casey RWA MRSS
Amanda Chambers RWA FRSA MRSS
Peter Randall-Page RWA FRSS
Patricia Volk RWA FRSS
Hamish Young RWA MRSS