Made By Hand project & Darien Johnson exhibition / The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, USA
17 August – September 30, 2012
Over the next few months, The Clay Studio will produce a multi part project, titled MADE BY HAND, exploring the relevance of handmade tableware in the 21st century. Two exhibitions are produced in support of this:
Derek Au
Derek Au, is American born of Chinese descent. Educated in the USA he currently lives in Jingdezhen China known for its rich history in ceramic art. Au’s work is a mixture of Eastern and Western cultures, true for the entire field of American Ceramics, and a mix of historic ceramic tradition and contemporary design. His work is inspired by origami, Song Dynasty Qingbai ware and tinware using the forms and methods of its production so prevalent in Jingdezhen. His materials of choice, a porcelain clay body covered by a celadon glaze, are rooted in centuries old tradition, the perfect foil for his minimal and contemporary forms.
Post At Rest
Pots at Rest engages eight ceramists as curators and exhibiting artists: Kari Radasch, Elizabeth Robinson, Lorna Meaden, Ingrid Bathe, Brian Jones, Munemitsu Taguchi, Matthew Hyleck, and Joseph Pintz. All are nationally recognized mid-career makers of tableware selected for the strength of his/her work: the conceptual content, formal qualities and his/her personal aesthetic. As a group they represent a broad range of material use, varied form and the primary processes of making and surfacing. All bring with them an extensive knowledge of the field, professional contacts, and buyers for their work. Each Artist/Curator was assigned a piece of equipment or furniture, typical to most kitchens, where pots when not in use, live or rest. Each selected functional wares for these spaces made by ceramicists from across North America whose work they admire and respect and share their reasons why they believe handmade tableware remains relevant in the 21st century.
An exhibition featuring works by Darien Johnson will be on view at the Banovitz Space:
“How does absorbing information through digital media define a person’s notion of reality? Current technologies facilitate the instantaneous acquisition, manipulation, and subsequent redistribution of perceptual experiences. This recording and transfer of ideas enables people to have a shallow understanding of something without having truly experienced it. How does this affect our interpretation of “real?”
Stemming from an awareness of continually altered states of perceptual consciousness, my work represents the entanglement of human cognition and digital processing. By acquiring and manipulating visual information, I act as the human element while directly engaging in this process I question. The digital compositions are then china painted onto the porcelain forms, which I create as manifestations of the seemingly fluid movement of human cognition.” Darien Johnson
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm, and Sunday, 12 – 6 pm.
CONTACT
Jeff Guido, Artistic Director
jeff@theclaystudio.org
Tel. 215-925-3453 x18
The Clay Studio
139 N. Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
United States
www.theclaystudio.org
Above: Munemitsu Taguchi, Tableware, 2011 (first). Darien Johnson, Untitled, 2011 (second).
