Courtesy: the artist and Sanderson Contemporary Art, Auckland.

Sanderson presents a new exhibition of works by the award-winning ceramicist Julie Cromwell. Descendants is a new suite of works developed from the artist’s ongoing research into the historical linage of clay and ceramics, as well as a recent exploration into funerary ware.

‘I enjoy working with the primal material of clay; with its origins rooted in the geology of our earth. The very material it is said we are made from, that we walk upon, and eventually return to, allows me to know and explore this cycle of life.’

The transmutation of clay itself captivates the artist: the material moving through states from mud to clay, to form, through fire to permanence. The work carries marks from the hands of the creator, while being exposed to carbon firing techniques and the rudimental pit. The imbued scars lay bare on the surface of the vessel, traces of their own narrative, and of becoming.

For this series Cromwell drew inspiration from ancient cultures who used ceramic materials to create their funerary ware, in particular the Egyptian coptic jar. Wooden branches and copper wire placed on top of the vessels pay homage to the process of pit firing, whilst referencing the cycle of life.

Opening Event: Saturday 25 February, 11 – 1pm.

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