Earth Oracles" emphasizes Ceramic as a context; The methodology and shifting trajectories and varied destinations in the studio practices culminate in the exhibition.

Ceramic is an age-old material that has played a vital role in art history ever since antiquity. This gooey, organic substance has been crafted into a myriad of forms and textures for thousands of years, and unlike other mediums where the material is often the passage for the artistic idea or vision, the medium itself drives the concept.

Recently, we've been hearing of a "revival" or "rediscovery" of this material. However, ceramicists have always engaged critically with their material – challenging form, pushing technical boundaries, experimenting with the baffling chemistry of glazes, subverting embodied narratives – in an attempt to understand their material. Over the last decade, the field of ceramics has expanded to incorporate those that work with clay, rather than just those that were trained in clay. And along with it, a flow of critical thinking and collaboration in art, craft, and design is blossoming and driven by the possibilities of new artistic materials.

Who selected them?

Mayten's Projects is pleased to present "Earth Oracles," an exhibition curated by Lindsay Montgomery and Co-curated by Farnoosh Talaee featuring works by Marissa Alexander, Laurent Craste, Shannon Goff, Roxanne Jackson, Sasha Koozel, Nick Lenker, Lindsay Montgomery, Suzanne Nacha, Sharon Norwood, Erin Smith, Charles Snowden, Dirk Staschke, Sami Tsang, Laurence Veri and Linda Sormin

Lindsay Montgomery

Curator

Farnoosh Talaee

Co-Curator

How were these pieces selected?

The need to put on this exhibition grew in response to the limited knowledge about clay as a material in contemporary art. The intention was to showcase the diversity of the ceramic works, therefore each artist selected for the show is representative of completely distinct practice. The artists also derive from completely different backgrounds touching on a variety of topics close to their hearts. The curators approached the individual artists and invited them to participate in the exhibition. Majority of the works included in the show were created specifically for this exhibition.

[Credit line]
Earth Oracles has been organized by Mayten’s, Toronto, Canada.
The exhibition and accompanying panel talk at Gardiner Museum was made possible by generous support from TAS, Ontario Arts Council and Gardiner Museum.

Exhibition Label Text

Charles Snowden
Carlsbad, California, USA

Apotropaic Threshold, 2021
USA, 2022
ceramic, iv pole, Paracord

Apotropaic Threshold 2, 2021
USA, 2022
ceramic, iv pole, Paracord

Dirk Staschke
Portland, Oregon, USA

Post Position, 2020
USA, 2022
ceramic

Accumulation, 2021
USA, 2022
ceramic

Brick, 2021
Canada, 2022
ceramic

Erin Smith
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

(40.7767611, -73.9668321) 1/5th Scale, 2022
USA, 2022
mid-fire porcelain, 3D printed PETG, steel and aluminum hardware, aspen, acrylic

Laurent Craste
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Carcasse VII, 2021
Canada, 2022
porcelain, glaze, bright gold, butcher hook, chain.

Révolution IV, 2019
Canada, 2022
porcelain, glaze, bright gold, axe (metal, wood)

La chute III (The Fall III), 2017
Canada, 2022
porcelain, stoneware, glazes, burnished mat gold, decals.

Adof Loos’ wet dream IV, 2013
Canada, 2022
porcelain, glaze, poker.

Laurence Veri
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Opera II, 2022
Canada, 2022
recycled stoneware, glaze, sand

Anges et moustique (Angels and gnat), 2022
Canada, 2022
porcelain, grog, sand, ilmenite

La Pauvre Pupille, 2022
Canada, 2022
recycled stoneware, glaze, sand

Etreinte, 2022
Canada, 2022
porcelain, grog, sand, ilmenite

Scene au tilleul (Linden Scene), 2022
Canada, 2022
porcelain, grog, sand, ilmenite

Deux amours au cheval, 2022
Canada, 2022
porcelain, grog, sand, ilmenite

Untitled, 2022
Canada, 2022
porcelain, grog, sand, ilmenite

Lindsay Montgomery
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hag Rebellion, 2022
Canada, 2022
tin-glazed earthenware

The Triumphs of Love and Death, 2022
Canada, 2022
tin-glazed earthenware

Misfit Glade, 2022
Canada, 2022
tin-glazed earthware

Linda Sormin
New York, New York, USA

Ancestor, 2020-2022
USA, 2022
glazed handbuilt stoneware, found ceramic shards, handcut watercolour on paper, resin, epoxy, found fibers, found objects, gold leaf

Self Portrait, 2021-2022
USA, 2022
glazed handbuilt stoneware, found ceramic shards, handcut watercolour on paper, resin, epoxy, found fibers, found objects, 3D printed plastic, gold leaf

Furl, 2019
USA, 2022
glazed handbuilt stoneware, found ceramic shards, epoxy, gold leaf

Marissa Alexander
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Sisters in Cosmos 2, 2022
Canada, 2022
hand built white stoneware, various glazes fired to cone 5, epoxy, enamel paints

Sisters in Cosmos 1, 2022
Canada, 2022
hand built white stoneware, various glazes fired to cone 5, epoxy, enamel paints

Nick Lenker
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Robin Hood from 2020, 2020
USA, 2022
ceramic, custom ceramic decals, luster, epoxy

Lead Arrow 2016, 2016
USA, 2022
ceramic, custom ceramic decals, luster

Roxanne Jackson
Brooklyn, New York, USA

Swimming With Dolphins, 2021
USA, 2022
ceramic, glaze, luster

Tiffany, 2020
USA, 2022
Ceramin, glaze, luster

Patronus, 2019
USA, 2022
ceramic, glaze, luster

Bedroom Eyes, 2018
USA, 2022
ceramic, glaze, luster, wig, freshwater pearls, faux fur

Wild Mineral, 2017
USA, 2022
ceramic, glaze, luster

Indigo Kush, 2016
USA, 2022
ceramic, glaze, luster

Sasha Koozel Reibstein
La Mesa, California, USA

Dark Disco, 2022
USA, 2022
porcelain, 22k white gold, flock

And Still so Long from Snow, 2022
USA, 2022
porcelain, electro-magnetic suspension

Twilight Grind, 2021
USA, 2022
ceramic, 22k gold, flock

Sami Tsang
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Is this Growth or Stubbornness, 2022
Canada, 2022
white stoneware, glaze, engobe, glass, rice paper, ink, nail art, clay epox

Like a Parasite, 2022
Canada, 2022
white stoneware, glaze, engobe, glass, tape, paper, resin, colour pencil, chai

Chicken and Duck Talk, 2022
Canada, 2022
white stoneware, glaze, engobe, glass, fabric, tape, paper, resin, nail art

Mooncake Party, 2021
Canada, 2022
stoneware, slip, glaze, resin, ballpoint pen, jade,ceramic tiles

Long-distance Battle, 2021
Canada, 2022
stoneware, engobe, glaze

Unhandling Heritage, 2021
Canada, 2022
rice paper, ink, nail art, stoneware, engobe, glaze, resin, clay epoxy, acrylic, chain

Shannon Goff
State College, Pennsylvania, USA

Tundra Circle, 2022
USA, 2022
glazed earthenware, palladium lustre,felt, matches, incense

Soniashnyk, 2022
USA, 2022
glazed earthenware, palladium lustre,felt, matches, beeswax votive

Bananatown, 2019
USA, 2022
glazed earthenware paperclay, cast porcelain

Soubrette, 2019
USA, 2022
glazed earthenware paperclay, white gold lustre

Sharon Norwood
Savannah, Georgia, USA

Wicked! This Is Not a Fairy Tale! 2022
USA, 2022
glazed ceramic, overglaze, luster, silver tray

Consider This, 2022
USA, 2022
glazed ceramic, luster

Great Expectations, 2022
USA, 2022
glazed ceramic, luster

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner or Rather Tea, 2017 -2019
USA, 2022
decal drawing on vintage porcelain

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner or Rather Tea - Perfectly Entertaining,
USA, 2022
decal drawing on vintage porcelain

Suzanne Nacha
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* artist appears courtesy of United Contemporary

Great Horn, 2022
Canada, 2022
coloured porcelain & stoneware

Star'ling, 2022
Canada, 2022
coloured porcelain & stoneware