Appreciation of Works
by Canada Ceramicist Debra Sloan
the 10th China Changchun
International Ceramics Symposium
< The Year of the Plague, met in Slippers>
Size:18×15×57cm
Introduction:She is drawn to the theatricality of ceramic. It evokes emotion, tacit understanding, narrative, and tactile desire. This piece is inspired by a Chinese Tang dynasty figure of a middle-aged dowager. Building an elegant form with small eloquent details, the Tang artist has masterfully conveyed dignity and singularity. During the worst periods of Covid19, many met the challenges with resilience and resigned themselves to confined living, in dressing gowns and slippers.
<Swept Up>
Size:15×17×37 cm
Introduction:Ceramic brims with historic allusions and material opulence, an eloquent conveyance with which to form a contemporary commentary. At times porcelain figurines and figurative works, particularly in the West, were made to romanticize social actualities and convey idealized beauty. She hopes that her figure will, instead, manifest a collective experience.
<Nailed>
Size:18×10×50cm
Introduction:The standing figure, babyish in form, but not behaviour, sentinel-like inhabits the space on top of a coloured box /plinth. The sum of the parts is intended to project a story or narrative that exists outside of the figure itself.