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Colourware
Exploring colour in Porcelain at flow
12 June
- 6
September
2007
Bringing together the work of
seven international artists, Colourware showcases
the beautiful and varied ways in which colour and
form can combine in contemporary porcelain. From
vessels, wall pieces and bowls, to china sculptures
and installations, porcelain moves away from the
traditional, muted palette to adopt vibrant colours
and eccentric forms.
Ten thousand porcelain
butterflies adorn the work of conceptual artist,
Caroline Yi Cheng, who creates textile pieces that
resemble ancient Chinese costume. These are then
covered with thousands of tiny, porcelain
butterflies, all hand-made by the craftsmen from
Jingdezhen province in China. Combining traditional
craftsmanship with modern, conceptual ideas she
makes grandiose pieces that astound the eye, but are
delicate and sensitive to touch.
Showing for the first time in a
London gallery, Dutch artist, Pauline Wiertz, is
inspired both by the heaps of fish, meat and
vegetables seen in 18th century Dutch still life
painting and by the 17th century idea of a
Wunderkammer - a cabinet filled with wonderful,
strange and exotic curiosities. All these elements
are combined in her fantastical sculptural still
lives, which are cast in porcelain and decorated
with blue and white patterns of flowers,
butterflies, feathers and Rococo motifs.
Delicate installations by Mia E.
Görannson explore nature and the changing seasons,
by casting bone china into sculptural forms that
reflect the first signs of spring, as porcelain
twigs, leaves and buds appear through the snow.
Delicate splashes of colour in light blue, pale
greens and yellows accentuate the shapes and
ethereal quality of these organic forms.
Inspired by African and Mexican
woven baskets, Mieke Everaet, creates porcelain
objects in the most universal, sculptural form - the
bowl. Each bowl is structured from thousands of
small coloured porcelain strips. The bowl-shaped
forms are not glazed, but rubbed down and polished
up, capturing and absorbing the light through their
thin, parchment skin. Abstract grid-like wall pieces
and painted vessels by Henk Wolvers are created from
very fine threads of pigmented porcelain, which are
not glazed but ground and polished, producing a hard
and translucent surface.
In contrast large scale pieces by up and coming
artist, Aneta Regel Deleu combine bold colours and
totally abstract forms, whilst acclaimed artist,
Felicity Aylieff focuses on large, hand-built
vessels. Made without the use of any tools; the clay
is pinched, stretched and clawed, to create richly
textured surfaces. Works are glazed in beautiful,
watery blues and greens and colourful transfers of
butterflies and chrysanthemums decorate her larger
cast vessels.
With artists from China, Belgium,
Sweden, Holland and Poland, Colourware brings
together established names and totally new talent to
create an exhibition that draws on European
heritage, whilst giving it a truly contemporary
twist.
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