It is my pleasure to announce that Crumbling Ecologies has been shortlisted for the
2013 Manningham Ceramic Art Prize.
Exhibition Opening and Judge's Presentation
6 - 8pm Wednesday 10 July, 2013 - everyone welcome
Exhibition Dates10th of July - 17th of August 2013.
You can find out more about gallery and location by clicking (here).
About the Award
The Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, developed by
Manningham City Council, was established in 2009 to support Victorian
ceramic artists and acknowledge the special place that ceramics has in
Manningham and the region’s history.
This biennial award exhibition surveys
current Victorian ceramic art practice and showcases ceramic artists
from Manningham and the other Valley of the Arts partners – Maroondah,
Nillumbik, and Banyule.
The acquisitions will assist in the development of Manningham City Council’s collection of Victorian ceramic art.
About the Artwork Shortlisted
Crumbling
Ecology
was the last work to emerge from the devolved Monash Ceramics Studio; a
response from Jasmine Targett one of the artists impacted by the closure.
The
work had two distinct aims, the first in its concept, the second in its
creation. The concept interrogated the central argument used to justify the
closure; that ceramics is out-dated and no longer relevant to contemporary art. The second
was to strengthen the industry by inviting artists to contribute. Contributing
to the work enabled artists to gain tech skills, network and stimulate
independent professional practice. Made with the help of over 100 artists
around Australia, Crumbling Ecology, is an installation of hundreds of delicate
hand cast porcelain geranium leaves on the brink of crumbling.
In Melbourne, geraniums sit
ambiguously between a plant and a weed deriving connotations of being out-dated,
this narrative echoes reasoning to dismiss ceramics from contemporary arts
practice.
The
Crumbling Ecology unable to
regenerate sits within a tenuous space. On the brink of crumbling, the
geraniums embody the story of their makers- the artists, teachers and students
impacted by the nationwide arts-sector cutbacks. Porcelain is a material known
for its strength; using it in this way comments on the impact the loss of
educators (and the knowledge their hands pass on) will have on the industry,
reflecting on the beauty and integrity of ceramic practice compromised.
