AN ENCOMPASSING PURSUIT

Philippa Farmer, Minna Graham, Su Hanna, Joanne Searle, Roshni Senapati, Lisa Skillern, Timothy White, Yuri Wiedenhofer, Tian You

November / December 2024

Skepsi Gallery

PHILIPPA FARMER

Concepts of fragility, security and protection have always informed my work. My armoured vessels reference the structural defensive language of forms found in sea life, seed pods, fungi, insects and microorganisms.

I work in unglazed porcelain clay since glaze only serves to dull the sharpness and re-flesh these forms. The unglazed surfaces reference bleached bones, skeletonised pods and the colourless framework of silica microorganisms.

Each individual spike, thorn, scale or nodule is hand rolled separately and attached over a period of days. I brush away any signs of the attachment so that it looks as if it evolved rather than was assembled. I do not mould, or mass produce the attachments, rather measure, shape and model them all individually. The fine grit of porcelain enables the high level of precise detail I require.

MINNA GRAHAM

Breath-taken by my travels to the rugged Patagonian landscape, I struggled to comprehend the gigantic majesty of the jagged mountain range that dominates the landscape. Against the backdrop of twisted ascending earth and receding azure glaciers, my humanness felt small and insignificant. At the same time my awe and adoration for the Earth and the natural world is elevated to a spiritual level. These conflicting emotions spark an interest in the relationship between humanity and nature as one of both peace and tension.

It makes sense to me to use clay, the Earth itself, to describe my emotional response to the landscape. I use contrasting elements to achieve balance and understanding. I carve, tear, cut and rip to expose what is below the surface. Using slips, pigments, and glazes to create tonal contrasts and textures, I can encapsulate and make sense of what I have witnessed.

SU HANNA

Over all the years of wood firing I still have the same thoughts on what I want from my kiln, many different approaches have taught me what works best. My narrative has always been Australia, Australian pots, Australian materials, Australian stories about our land, environment and colour. The groundhog/anagama kiln I fire the most, lends itself to producing very Australian colours.

Even after all this time, wood firing it is still exciting to me, using clay from my dam has taken me on a new journey that I look forward to continuing for a long while yet.

JOANNE SEARLE

The intersection of ceramics and printmaking is integral to my practice. Working within this convergence allows me to investigate a dialogue between the materiality of ceramics and ephemeral qualities of the natural world. The transformative quality of clay is both a medium and a metaphor as I explore the tension between permanence and transience. An exploration of sound as a physical presence is explored through evocative mark making and site-responsive works that reconstruct narratives of place.

ROSHNI SENAPATI

I work with two time-honoured materials, porcelain and cloth. The silk cloth and thread that I use are drawn from saris and haberdashery ephemera belonging to my mother. Many of these saris are very old and have been unworn since they first arrived in this country, nearly thirty years ago. I repurpose the family garments and give the cloth a new life and purpose.

The silk threads are drawn from the length of the sari and then stitched or knotted into the vessel wall. The cloth is fashioned into varying elements (scrolls, tassels, streamers, rolled and bound needles) and attached to the vessel with stitches.

LISA SKILLERN

The gravity of clay contrasts with the lightness of porcelain. Surviving the intensity of days of wood firing, these contemporary pieces evoke ancient cultures, landscapes and colours. 

Textures embedded in finely walled porcelain reflect those of generations of makers in long established potters’ villages. Natural elements of water, air and fire interact with the clay and me as maker, finally handed over to the unpredictable process that is wood firing. The pieces capture memories and stories of spontaneity and curiosity with inter-generational processes of making with clay.

TIMOTHY WHITE

 My interest in ceramics began at high school, being inspired by a wonderful teacher. This led to working in the laundry at home, where I would envisage work and attempt to bring it to reality. I used a gas kiln in the backyard, at all hours of the day or night to achieve my goals.

I now work with porcelain and an electric kiln, the process means the work is less forgiving to make, but the results are very rewarding. I use lustres to enhance my forms, creating interesting, nuanced work, which I find fulfilling, and it makes every opening of the kiln an adventure.

YURI WIEDENHOFER

I have an interest in Rai stones. They hold stories about the who and the what, a belief system traditionally held across a chain of Micronesian Islands. Some stones sit and remain on the ocean floor. These objects were not moved about in exchange, but people had agreed and memorised entitlements. Quarried from a distant island, they were labour intensive and therefore much valued.

My clay and fire work is also labour intensive. I convince myself it represents good personal value in physical and mental exercise, and it mostly keeps me off the streets. My methods and material parameters are broad, with few fixed and reliable start-points. Nearly everything is found.

These latest vessels were fired with experimental Rai stone inspired discs. A date and time is inscribed on each pot at leather-hard stage in the form of a Bitcoin block number. The Rai stone inspired objects are mostly too heavy to lift and are inscribed the moment they are ready to roll into the kiln. The wheel is such a practical invention.

TIAN YOU

While dealing with a phase of uncertainties, a beginners’ wheel throwing class launched my addiction to clay. This life saving addiction ‘pulled the cord’, releasing my entanglement. I have explored paths in ceramic craftsmanship and arts practice ever since.

I work with porcelain and studio developed glazes, and compose with form, painting, and texture. This is the pathway I travel, to conjure the scenery and emotions of Shangri-La, - a place of harmony and interconnection between species and cultures.

AN ENCOMPASSING PURSUIT

Philippa Farmer, Minna Graham, Su Hanna, Joanne Searle, Roshni Senapati, Lisa Skillern, Timothy White, Yuri Wiedenhofer, Tian You

November / December 2024

Skepsi Gallery