Ceramic Sculpture: Eclipsing Process Jeffrey Mongrain and Nicholas Kripal August 2003

Exhibition in the University of Newcastle Art Gallery, curated by Ross Woodrow

This exhibition demonstrates how two leading artists from the United States, Jeffrey Mongrain and Nicholas Kripal, have managed to transcend the shackles of expected outcomes for artists working with clay. Nor is their work more easily defined as sculpture rather than ceramics simply because of its scale. Almost every aspect of this work: its scale, source, decoration and presentation defy ceramic precepts. None of the works in the exhibition are glazed, but instead the surfaces are variously articulated by filing, grinding, sanding and polishing. When the surfaces are activated with colour, the pigments are the most basic of extracts or substances such as raw oxide and coal dust. Most importantly, although both artists might seem to eschew traditional ideas of truth to materials, they nevertheless explore the most fundamental essence of clay as an expressive medium. In seeking the material possibilities for clay, however, they have not been confused by the dictates of tradition. More correctly, they show great sensitivity to the particular dictates of ceramic tradition.

PDF of catalogue is available on Research Gate.

Review of exhibition below

Copyright © 2003 The Artists