For2022--we thought the pandemic would be over and that life would return to normal. Now, half-way through the year, the pandemic still ravages the unsuspecting and unprotected--in both the developed and developing world. Climate disasters still loom unaddressed; economic forecasts are ambivalent, and war has broken out in Ukraine. The times call for our attention, but that is in short supply as distractions multiply. I am preparing for my exhibition All Consuming at the Craft Council of BC, June 16- August 4, 2022. Some works below are new; some are re-configured from earlier. Here is a brief description and a few of my thoughts :
My exhibition All Consuming raises issues of consumption, waste, and the global circulation of consumer goods. It consists of ceramic sculptures with bases shaped like container ships piled high with thrown forms resembling crushed cans, bottles, product tubes, and logs, arranged as an armada on a table top. Spherical forms recalling the Covid virus refer to the catastrophe that has engulfed the world, pointing to connections between the global circulation of goods, environmental degradation, and disease. Other sculptures incorporate ceramic containers, logs, branches, flowers, and simulated scraps of plastic. These sit on shelves suggesting shorelines or surrounding land. Ceramic portholes painted with images of the industrialized river or forest hang on the wall, allowing viewers to imagine themselves onboard a ship looking out at an alien landscape. Ceramic cans, tubes, bottles, and similar detritus are strewn throughout, while ceramic heads stand guard to mourn, witness, or represent human consciousness. All Consuming acknowledges the allure of “stuff,” and questions our ability to change in the face of environmental crisis.
For more on All Consuming, please see the Craft Council of BC website here.
To listen to my artist talk relating to All Consuming, please see here.