Invisible Red Threads – a ceramic exhibition

Square by Derek Au

Exhibition: Thu 18 Feb – Thu 11 March
Opening night: Wed 17 Feb with opening speaker Libby Raupach OAM

Invisible Red Threads has been supported by the Helpmann Academy.

TAFE SA Adelaide College of the Arts presents the exhibition Invisible Red Threads featuring four leading Adelaide ceramicists Prue Gramp, Peter Johnson, Erin Lykos and Sarah Rothe and the work of four Chinese artists from the Experimental Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen.

In September 2008, four Adelaide artists travelled to Jingdezhen in China as part of an international residency supported by the Helpmann Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts.

Inspired by their travels and experiences—being immersed in a world of porcelain traditions—the four artists have responded by creating ceramic, mixed media and jewellery works that will be on show during the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

As part of the residency program, artists spent six weeks at the Experimental Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, the "porcelain capital of the world". During this time, the artists worked closely with local artisans who have developed their skills using knowledge passed down from generation to generation over the past 1700 years.

The exhibition will not only feature work by these four Adelaide ceramicists, but will also include the work of four Chinese artists Derek Au, Shen Chen Chen, Wang Hao and Yu Ling Ling.

"The Jingdezchen residency provided a profound experience of Chinese culture, creating for me the opportunity to discover the abundance and diversity of clay practice," says Peter Johnson, ceramic artist and lecturer at TAFE SA’s Adelaide College of the Arts.

"On visits to the local markets, row after row of ceramic shards from the Tang, Ming and Sung dynasties, interwoven with fake copies, presented an astonishing array of ceramic styles depicting Chinese stories and decorative motifs. From this reference point, contemplating and imagining the story behind these shards reaching back over the dynasties, I began to generate ideas."

For more information on the exhibition contact the Light Square Gallery on 8463 5032.

Want to try ceramics yourself?
Find out more about the Certificate IV in Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft contact the Adelaide College of the Arts on 8463 5000 or email arts.adl@tafesa.edu.au