Handmade in Brisbane, Australia
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Solo: Essential Object

12 - 28 January 2023

Showing in January at Michael Reid Sydney is a delightful collection of new handmade ceramics by Brisbane based artist, Steph Woods. Rounding out our summertime schedule of new work by emerging artist’s. Steph Woods’ meticulously crafted, hand built vessels are curvaceous, textured and visually daring, all embellished with striking matt glaze.

About the Work

Essential Object explores the modern relationship we have with ceramics and challenges the traditional utilitarian confines of ceramic art. In an era of mass-production, a common perception regarding ceramics is that they must be functional to be deemed valuable.

Essential Object aims to take a step back from this approach by using porous clay and unconventional colours to visually demonstrate the significance of clay in sculptural design.

The exhibition consists of fourteen vessels representing vase-like structures that differ in height, colour and form. By using many techniques such as slab building and coiling to create each form, the pieces depict unique characteristics that tell a story of their production. Smooth but porous shapes intentionally clash with textural ambiguous forms, representing the transition of a vase morphing into a contemporary art piece. This juxtaposition symbolizes the merging of the old and the new and clays extension into contemporary art.

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