Abbey Jamieson & Rowan McGinness, Pinched Paintings - Stacked, 2020. Variable. Mixed media on ceramic. Image: Kerry Martin.
OPENING EVENT Wednesday 27 January from 6:00pm at ANCA Gallery. Free to attend, no bookings required.
Jamieson and McGinness’ project explores the boundary between mediums and art practices. They want to combine their practices of ceramics, a typically domestic medium, and painting, a traditionally two dimensional medium, to create a sculptural installation. Through multiple holes in sculptural pinched ceramic objects, Jamieson works to break down the dichotomy between the interior and exterior space of the vessel. This allows the audience an opportunity to reflect on the barriers that are held between their inner and outer selves. McGinness’ textural paintings on the ceramic forms will play with the audience’s perception creating illusions of where the forms start and finish. By creating intrigue she will entice the viewer for a closer look, encouraging spatial and bodily engagement.
This collaboration challenges the stigmas of what painting and ceramics should be. Ceramics places painting into three dimensional space. Where a painter needs to view space differently to what they’re used to. By using paint as the surface treatment on the ceramic wares it opens up new opportunities that are not traditionally accepted in the craft field. As well as combining mediums, this work will offer an opportunity for viewers to reflect on the relationship between the natural and the artificial. The organic forms and the materiality of the clay are contrasted with the man made paints applied to the surface in an artificial landscape.
Abbey Jamieson is a Canberra based artist who works predominantly with clay. Through the processes of pinching and soda firing she creates ceramic objects with themes of comfort and connection. Jamieson utilises the soda firing process as she enjoys allowing the kiln to become an active participant in her work. This creates a contrast between the slow, controlled pinching of clay, and the dynamic, spontaneous nature of soda firing. Jamieson spent a semester abroad in Canada and in 2018 she graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours), majoring in Ceramics.
Rowan McGinness is a painter who focuses on how tactility and spatial engagement open up possibilities for making paintings. She enjoys blurring the boundaries of painting by merging with other artistic mediums such as textiles and sculpture. She graduated with Honours from the Australian National University School of Art and Design in 2018. She won awards at her Graduating Exhibition through the Emerging Artist Support Scheme (EASS), including an acquisition award and an exhibition award at Alliance Français. She has showed in exhibition spaces at the ANU School of Art and Design Gallery, Alliance Français, Strathnairn Gallery and Tributary Projects.