Courtesy: the artist and Laree Payne Gallery, Hamilton.

Laree Payne presents an exhibition of new works by Emelia French. IMPRESSIBLE, CHANGEABLE, UNRULY is French’s first solo exhibition with the gallery following the completion of her PhD (via AUT) and joining the gallery, both of which have occurred this year.

Working solely in ceramics, French presents domestically-scaled objects alongside large scale wall tiles and hand-shaped bronze fixtures. Primarily motivated by the relationship between artist and material, French seeks to reveal the clay’s inherent character which she describes as ‘impressible, changeable and unruly’. By approaching the material in this way, French upends convention whereby one is taught “to work the material into submission in pursuit of material mastery”. The resulting work can be described as painterly (in the case of the tiles), generous (regarding the works associative potential) and warm (as French’s workings remain ever-present across the works surface).

Opening Event: Friday 30 June, 5 – 7pm.

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