Brisbane Art Design (BAD) is back with a new theme of Culture. Community. Clay. The Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is now displaying new pieces by local ceramicists like Bonnie Hislop, Steph Woods, Kenji Uranishi, Jane du Rand, and Nicolette Johnson. This year’s BAD program will also have pop-up studios, exhibition talks, and more all across Brisbane – from the City to Albion to Wolloongabba, all audiences will be stunned by the art, design, and fashion works of numerous artists throughout the event.
The Clay: Collected Ceramics exhibition in the MoB is a sight to behold. Each ceramicist’s style is distinctive and unique, despite using the same medium of art. The exhibition manages to display and mesh these different pieces together, without taking away from the beauty of each work.
A particularly interesting display of work would be Woods’ Continuum 1-10 (2022). The most intriguing feature of ceramics would be that they can be simultaneously admired and utilised, something that Woods tackles in her pieces. Keying on this medium’s distinctive trait, Woods approaches ceramics by separating them from their functionality as objects, creating them to be appreciated only through vision. Her work leaves much to think about, and the common question remains – what is the utilitarian purpose of art? And then there is the other question – must there be one?
Another fascinating display is Johnson’s work, where she uses excavated artefacts of bowls, vases, and more as vessels. Johnson breathes new life into these pieces while retaining their ancient mystique. This feature of using artefacts gives a unique touch to her art – it has never been created before, and can never be recreated again, not even by her.
This exhibition shines a new light on ceramics, an art medium that has often overlooked – it is a must-go for any art lover.
The Clay: Collected Ceramics exhibition at the MoB will run until 22 October.
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