Generation Clay: Reimagining Asian Heritage is an exhibition that celebrates the vibrant versatility of clay, curated by the award-winning contemporary artist Vipoo Srivilasa.
This exhibition brings together a new generation of Asian-Australian contemporary artists who have been invited to create new works using a predominantly blue and white palette. The combination presents a fresh perspective within traditional colour palettes and forms, showcasing cultural re-imaginations.
Blue and white ceramics boast a profound, complex history dating back centuries, from early Islamic and Chinese wares. The fourteen artists assembled for this exhibition redefine traditional and ceramic forms, reflecting their personal histories, memories, cultural heritage, and family ties to mythological and popular culture narratives. Among the artists featured are Armie Sungvaribud (TAS), Asahi So (NSW), Casey Chen (NSW), Dai Li (Qld), EJ Son (NSW), Jayanto Tan (NSW), Mai Nguy?n-Long (NSW), Monica Rani Rudhar (NSW), Nani Puspasari (VIC), Theodosius Ng (VIC), Yang Qiu (NSW), Yen Yen Lo (VIC), Yoko Ozawa (VIC) and Zhu Ohmu (VIC).
The centerpiece of the exhibition is The Bloom Room, a special making area where visitors can engage in a range of evolving monthly activities. From hand-crafting origami flowers and tiny clay objects to sharing stories, The Bloom Room is a space designed to create, connect, and collaborate with both the artworks and artists featured in Generation Clay.
The colour blue is a unifying thread throughout the exhibition’s design. It alludes to the global discourse of blue and white patterning, illustrating its connections to global movement and its reinterpretation and translation through form and motif over time.
Vipoo Srivilasa, who also worked alongside the Asian diaspora on the exhibition design, construction, writing, and photography, proudly states, “I have brought together some of the most exciting ceramic talent, and together we are creating, what I believe, is a first-of-its-kind exhibition – Asian Australian ceramicists interpreting the blue and white palette in new ways. The participatory nature of the exhibition is something that I am very proud of.”
For those interested in contemporary art that bridges cultural heritage with modern interpretation, Generation Clay: Reimagining Asian Heritage is an unmissable experience.
Generation Clay: Reimagining Asian Heritage, 3 Aug – 24 Nov 2024 at Bunjil Place, 2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren. www.bunjilplace.com.au