Objects of Desire: Contemporary Clay

Overview

Clay: it's more than just the substance a ghostly Patrick Swayze helps Demi Moore mould in a '90s romantic fantasy film. For ten Queensland artists, it's a changeable material that can transform into everything from a bowl to a sculpture — and they're just two of the more obvious options.

At Artisan's new exhibition, the many different shapes, forms, sizes and textures clay can create is in the spotlight, as showcased in a collection of work by Mollie Bosworth, Andrew Bryant, Ray Cavill, Janet Fieldhouse, Chizuko Jones, Clairy Laurence, Tijn Meulendijks, Pru Morrison, Anne Mossman, Jenny Mulcahy and Megan Puls. Other than the former lump of dirt that they're all fond of, there's something else that the group has in common. Hint: that seductive Swayze really was on to something.

Yes, there's a reason why the display dedicated to their communal efforts is called Objects of Desire: Contemporary Clay — and that's because of the sensation working with the titular substance conjures. You mightn't be jumping behind a pottery wheel to enjoy that experience any time soon, but if you enter into this exhibition's tactile world, you can do the next best thing.

Image: Megan Puls, Mangrove Series 1 - 10, 2016. Scarva stoneware clay. Photo by Jaala Alex.