Ceramic Expressions (4th Edition)
22 - 30 January 2021
The fourth edition of Ceramic Expressions is a group exhibition series showcasing new developments in modern ceramic art. The exhibition will feature 25 works from 24 Singapore and international artists and was held during the 2021 9th Singapore Art Week, from 22 to 30 Jan 2021 at The Substation.
The fourth edition of Ceramic Expressions is the most extensive and exciting one to date, with a total of 25 works from 24 artists, including two innovative sculptural works by guest artist Yuki Nara. Hailing from a line of renowned ceramicists steeped in 350 years of tradition, he is forging his path and expanding the vocabulary of modern ceramics and craftsmanship through hybridizing state-of-the-art approaches in architecture and design with ware techniques.
The selected artists include Agnes Lim, Aida Khalid, Angela Burkhardt-Guallini, Ann Van Hoey, Daisy Toh, Dora Lee, Eddie Yee, Hairol Hossain, Hazel Ng, Hiroko Mita, Jaslin Poh, Kino Satoshi, Lim Kim Hui, Mami Kato, Mandy Cheng, Michael Rice, Omelet Trees Studio, Ong Kok Peng, Steven Low, Tan Shao Qi, Tetsuya Tanaka, Wee Hong Ling and Zestro Leow. Seven of the selected artists featured this year are international ceramicists.
The works selected this year cover a broad range of responses, with some created amid the pandemic. Many seem to be responding to the fragile, fraught times we live in, with nature as their central theme. Evoking the colors, patterns, and textures of natural landscapes and organisms, these figurative and abstract studies present a range of biomorphic and geomorphological forms, pushing the limits of the materials to underscore the ephemerality and fragility of nature and life, and the need to protect it in the face of the imminent threat of climate breakdown. Pots and vessels, formed by listening to the clay, embody the textures, colors, and surface effects of the landscape and the elements. Sculptural objects reminiscent of ancient fossilized remains, parched earth, or bleached leaves and flowers draw attention to the creations of nature, its terrains, and life forms, and prompt reflections on the effects of time and the ecological implications of the Anthropocene.
Others take on the daunting task of conveying the universal, through making the invisible visible and illustrating the tenuous balance and complexity of the forces of nature. From geometric and abstract studies expressing the sublimity of the forces of nature and analysing the mechanics of energy movement in powerful natural phenomena such as waves and winds, to sculptures conveying light as a requiem to lives lost to the elemental forces of nature to vessels calling for endurance and healing, these works draw attention to the power and dual capacity of nature for destruction and restoration, and offer hope for regeneration and renewal.
