Alison McGechie

Kiss

2018

Louise Bourgeois (French-American, 1911-2010) Je t'aime, 2005/2023 Medium: Fine bone china plate Dimensions: 26.7 diameter (10.5 in) Edition of 250: Not signed, not numbered (Printed...

From ancient times, the materiality of clay has presented itself as a metaphor for human self-transformation. In recent decades, visual artists have leveraged this metaphor to explore the boundaries of visual art through creative experimentation. This has led to the development of innovative techniques and styles that push the limits of materiality and artistic expression. ‘Compressing Materiality’ brings to the fore notable artists exploring the mutable materiality of clay within the contemporary South African context. Existing in multiple temporalities and forms, both malleable and fragile, clay draws on various transformational agents to reflect culture and history—serving as a repository of collective memory and heritage. Its enduring materiality transcends temporal and spatial boundaries, fostering dialogue and understanding across diverse cultural landscapes. In the hands of an artist, clay transcends its inert state, undergoing metamorphosis through the alchemy of skill, imagination, and fire. By demanding physical engagement—a communion between hand and material—the artwork is imbued with an innate vitality. Clay moulds, sculpts, and shapes, yielding to the artist's will, yet simultaneously asserting its own agency. Featured as part of this group showcase, Antoinette Du Plessis...

Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life. Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars, memory jugs are African American folk art objects that honor a loved one who has recently passed. Small tokens and mementos of the deceased are gathered and affixed to the exterior of a jug or vase, an abundance of memories that celebrates a life lived to the fullest. Michael Thompson applies this tradition to his own practice, creating tactile assemblages of this and that. Formed in the manner of collage, each jug honors the lost memories of generations past and his own memories of personally discovering each item. With varied sources for materials including Kyoto, Turkey, and Mexico, a great number of the found shards are 18th and 19th century ceramics...

Born Monterrey, Mexico 1991. Graduated from the Bachelor of Arts at the University of Monterrey. (2014) Andrés uses ceramics as a medium to create amorphous beings that seem to belo...