White Heat, Australian Ceramics Association Biennial Exhibition
Manly Art Gallery and Museum. 12 June–19 July 2009

Review by Karen Finch

The title of this exhibition carries many meanings. Initially, there is direct reference to the heat of firing and resulting changes to materials in the kiln. However, the oblique usage in this instance is the social, political and cultural commentary implicit in the work. Since the early ’60s, there has been a groundswell of ceramic artists who have moved from making domestic objects to pushing the boundaries of the art/craft and pottery/sculpture/installation debate.

Kenji Uranishi's exploration of the built environment, Converging 2009, is a layered work offering the viewer many choices. At first glance it speaks to high density developments that are endemic in most of our major cities. The uniformity, with subtle differences in size and configuration of the slab built elements, reference urban architects' attempts to bring some level of individuality to buildings within large developments. However, there remains a level of homogeneity in these developments as there is in the pleasingly regular shapes and dimensions of Uranishi's piece. However, he states that it doesn't represent a single thing, rather, ‘a pocket of people, buildings, society, nature’.^[i] In contrast, Cathy Keys’ No room in the boom (or bust) 2009, comments directly on the loss of medium level housing in the wake of Brisbane's development boom; the loss of inner city housing contributing to levels of homelessness that rate amongst the highest in Australia.

Silent Spring 2008, by Gerry Wedd, is a poignant reminder of the destruction of our natural eco-balance by chemicals, and also introduced species. The row of porcelain corpses of small birds brought to mind the absence, now, of sparrows in Sydney – ousted by the introduction of the Indian Mynah bird.

The work of two women, Avital Sheffer and Rachel Williams, offered me the greatest contrasting experience of the exhibition. Sheffer's earthenware works stand as emblems of past, present and future – in both ceramics and a sense of the human context within our world. They are direct descendants of neolithic goddess figurines, their larger scale and enigmatic decorated surfaces demanding that the viewer looks beyond the obvious relationship to ideas of body image, fecundity, and religion that have travelled over time and continue to change with society. In almost direct opposition, Williams' delicate but ultimately confronting work, It takes the whole of life...2006, is about the ephemeral nature of our lives as individuals - what Williams states as being the futility of our attempts to hold onto moments, and yet the common desire we have to leave a legacy behind us. Each fine, crumpled porcelain sheet is different, inviting closer inspection of the effect of backlighting through the translucent material. However, discovering, via the wall text, that each piece contains donated human ashes brings the piece into an entirely different place within the pysche – the internal conflict of reconciling a certain level of macabre reality within the understated beauty making a powerful viewing experience.

One of the outstanding features of this collection is the range of traditional clay techniques executed with consistent excellence. The other is the diversity of themes and issues explored by the artists. It augers well for the future, that traditional materials and techniques will continue to be a solid foundation for work that carries concepts well beyond its origins.

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