It has been an amazing month
As Ted Snell said at the opening of HERE & NOW 14 at Lawrence Wilson Gallery, this is the most significant ceramic exhibition in WA in a decade.
I was hoping to show you lots of images, but unfortunately, photography was not allowed at the opening. Hopefully, the gallery will grant me access to their photos, but I guess I have to be patient about it.
We managed to take a few shots before we knew we shouldn't J
The West Australian article:
I love the image of Warrick's work. You would not think that it's a gallery shot. And that is, in my view, why this exhibition is so significant., beautiful and feels just right: there are no white plinths. ( Well, hardly any white plinths). It is not so much an exhibition as an experience.
The only time I have encountered such an experience previously was in Korea at Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in 2009. I hoped to find web site or online images to illustrate what I'm talking about, but this is the only relevant link I could find ( and it has a strong focus on tableware, while I wanted to show you the way the contemporary ceramic is displayed). Have a look, it takes only 6 minutes:
Segue
is where you can find my recent talk: Failure: Playing with Fire.
Preparing for the talk came at precarious time just before assembling Shape of Thought at Lawrence Wilson Gallery. I was hoping that it was not going to be a prediction of the things to come.
Interestingly, although the work was ready with plenty of time to spare, and everything was going well, I still felt very very fragile not only before the sculpture was finally put together, but for weeks afterwards. I know that it is not a unique feeling ( actually it is quite common and something I warn my students, first time exhibitors, about).
I know that it sounds silly, but I expected the call from the gallery telling me that the piece has collapsed, that it is not good enough, to please come and take it away.
Those feelings are not easy to explain or to talk about. I can't help but to think of Robin Williams and the question lots of people ask: "How can somebody so successful feel so desperate?"
Is it the same something that defines us as artists?
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