Clay on Country – Ceramics from the Central Desert Exhibition at Cairns Art Gallery
Clay on Country is a diverse and eclectic survey of works by 32 artists and collectives from the central desert region of the Northern Territory. Works in the exhibition explore ancestral stories, contemporary experiences and settler histories, alongside the joys and challenges of working with clay, including the push and pull tactility of this most wonderful of all art materials.
The exhibition includes works by a diverse range of artists who have produced accomplished, insightful, and contemporary works that reflect the culturally and historically rich and complex region in which they live and work.
Two important ceramic centres of creativity in central Australia include Ernabella Arts at Pukatja, SA established in 1948 and Hermannsburg Potters at Ntaria, NT. Both have well established ceramic studios with artists who continue to create highly sought after works that draw on cultural stories and everyday experiences. For this exhibition, the Hermannsburg Potters created a large new collaborative work with a companion audio visual work by animating a series of painted ceramic tiles. Other artists’ works include remnants and shards of early colonial pottery items, while others have created new works that reference old traditions such as the ubiquitous bush ‘cuppa’ tea.
Whether as a commentary on the past, or as a statement of concern for the future, artists in the exhibition together draw compelling connections between place, material and culture.
Clay on Country – Ceramics from the Central Desert, curated by Jo Foster and Neridah Stockley and toured by Artback NT, with support of Creative Australia, and Visions of Australia.
Exhibition Runs: 2nd March– 26th May 2024
Entry: Free Entry
For more information please visit the Cairns Art Gallery website.
Please check directly with the Cairns Art Gallery for opening hours on Public Holidays.
IMAGE: Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Merne (food) Plates Art Plates Now 2021, decals on found crockery, 32 plates, 190 x 170 cm (installation), Courtesy of Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Photograph: Sara Maiorino
