Breakers
19 May – 2 July
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'Alice' 2004:
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Rob Kesseler: design
for 'Scabious Flowers' 2006 |
Martinware Shouldered
Ovoid Base |
Artists: Robert Dawson, Laura Ford, Keith Harrison, Jefford Horrigan, Rob Kesseler, Rosa Nguyen, Heather Park, Richard Slee, Hans Stofer, Dawn Youll and The Martin Brothers.
To celebrate Museums and Galleries month (MGM) in May, we continue our Breaking the Boundaries season with an exhibition highlighting contemporary ceramics practice, showing work by internationally acclaimed artists working in the medium.
Museums and Galleries Month (29 April – 4 June 2006) is the biggest celebration of its kind in the world. It highlights the wealth of opportunities for entertainment, cultural enrichment and education that UK's museums and art galleries have to offer.
The theme for MGM month is Making Connections: past, present and future. In line with the theme, Pitzhanger has also chosen to focus attention on some of its collection of historic Martinware pottery by the Martin Brothers.
The contemporary artists included in the show have broken with tradition to produce extraordinary works in a medium that is receiving increasing attention, arguably in part due to the awarding of the 2003 Turner prize to Grayson Perry.
Amongst the artists presenting new and recent works, Hans Stofer uses broken or discarded pieces to create works that are a tribute to the beauty of the imperfect domestic object. Heather Park aims for a sense of natural formation in her work, reflecting an interest in the effects of nature on coral. In Laura Ford's 'Headthinkers', small boys poignantly rest heavy, donkey heads, built in glazed ceramic stoneware, against walls and tables. Richard Slee's career spans 30 years. His ceramics are intrinsically about the domestic interior and there are references in his work to the decorative, ornamental and the symbolic, both from past and contemporary cultures.
The Martin Brothers worked in potteries in Fulham and Southall from 1873-1923. Pitzhanger Manor-House owns the largest collection of Martinware in the country, approximately 400 pieces in total, with 130 on permanent display. The Martin Brothers were pioneers in the production of studio pottery, some beautifully formed and expertly decorated, some eccentric, like their famous bird jars.
The contemporary artists in Breakers are contributing to the ongoing development of the medium in which they work, much as the Martin Brothers did in Victorian times. The exhibition provides a window on current ceramics practice and gives a fascinating insight into some of the leading edge work from 100 years ago.
For further information visit www.mgm.org.uk or www.24hourmuseum.org.uk.