MARK MITCHELL

MARK MITCHELL A Sense of O rde r 25 July - 19 August 2015 www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

milford galleries queenstown

9A Earl Street (03) 442 6896 qtown@milfordgalleries.co.nz

Truss (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 279 x 403 x 336 mm

1

Trill (2015) ceramic, gold leaf & silver paste, size: 294 x 421 x 335 mm

2

Imprint (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 299 x 315 x 258 mm

3

Ma (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 306 x 307 x 270 mm

4

Horoeka (2015) ceramic, gold leaf & silver paste, size: 303 x 404 x 362 mm

5

Tempo (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 316 x 408 x 323 mm

6

Seep (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 210 x 463 x 465 mm

7

Au (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 248 x 305 x 270 mm

8

Nexus (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 290 x 413 x 346 mm

9

Splice (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 284 x 420 x 324 mm

10

Waro (2015) ceramic & gold leaf, size: 268 x 295 x 263 mm

11

Mark Mitchell's organic ceramics are a wealth of contradictions. They appear delicate, yet have both physical and spiritual strength. Their interiors show the fine craquelure associated with age, yet this exquisite spidery glaze is entirely deliberate.

They are worked in intricate geometric forms, yet these patterns change and blend in an entirely painterly fashion.

Mitchell has stated that his interests lie in drawing out the relationships between the different features of the ceramic object, whilst simultaneously simplifying its form. (1) The emphasis shifts and turns between the features of line, surface, and volume, and also between the positive patterns and negative space created by his repeated geometries. This is in keeping with the thought behind the exhibition's title, taken from E.H. Gombrich's seminal 1979 book on the psychology of decorative arts, in which the author suggests that there is a universal human impulse to seek order and rhythm. (2) The artist uses a restrained palette and bold line to enhance the sense of volume in his works, a feature further enhanced by the eggshell-like interiors and metallic flashes. Mitchell is not afraid to use many approaches to his surface patterns, his rich, gold-flecked Waro, gentle Ma, and rhythmic Truss each revealing a strikingly different aspect of Mitchell's art.

It was musician, artist, and social observer Brian Eno who coined the concept "Repetition is a form of change". By this apparent oxymoron, Eno was suggesting that any attempt to recreate a pattern will introduce minor variations, and that such variations will often become more interesting that the pattern itself. (3) Mitchell's works are sculptural, in that there is no attempt to create perfectly round or perfectly smooth bowls. Neither, too, is there any attempt to be anything other than human in his elegantly painted designs.

Mitchell's patterns shift and shatter, drawing our eyes again and again to the subtle differences in his repeated geometries. There is an old adage about jazz, that it is the art of playing the wrong note at exactly the right time, or the right note at exactly the wrong time. In the fluctuations of his painted designs, Mitchell has produced just such visual jazz.

(1), (2) Artist's statements, 2015.

(3) Brian Eno and Russell Mills, More dark than shark, Faber and Faber, London, 1986.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST 1

Truss (2015)

2,250

2

Trill (2015)

2,250

3

Imprint (2015)

1,750

4

Ma (2015)

1,750

5

Horoeka (2015)

2,250

6

Tempo (2015)

2,300

7

Seep (2015)

1,950

8

Au (2015)

1,500

9

Nexus (2015)

2,250

10

Splice (2015)

2,250

11

Waro (2015)

1,500

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

MARK MITCHELL b. 1972, lives Whangarei

Mark Mitchell: Horoeka (2015)

The hand of the maker can be clearly seen in the elegant imperfection possessed by Mark Mitchell’s sculptural ceramics. His restrained use of colour and line reinforce the scale of his voluminous ceramic vessels. Serpentine lines flow over the surface of some works, creating optical illusions of movement; others display monochrome, geometric patterns which are differentiated by surface texture. Finished on the inside with a delicate, crackled glaze, gold and silver leaf is used sparingly to provide points of reflected light against the matte finish of the porcelain.

With a considerable background in commercial and industrial ceramics, Mark Mitchell completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) from Otago School of Art in 2001. After time spent as the Head of the Ceramics Department of the Hungry Creek Art School (Auckland), Mitchell has worked as a fulltime ceramist since 2005. In 2007 Mitchell spent seven weeks in China as a selected guest of the FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums, working alongside other Australasian ceramists. In 2009 he was awarded a three month residency at the Shigaraki Cultural Sculpture Park Japan.

Mark Mitchell 2015 CV P a g e |1

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

MARK MITCHELL b. 1972, lives Whangarei EDUCATION 1998-2000 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Wanganui Quay School of Art 2001 (Final Year) Bachelor Fine Arts, School of Art, Otago Polytechnic

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2015 2008 2004

A Sense of Order, milford galleries queenstown Composites, Arthouse, Christchurch NO DENTS, Piha, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2015 2014

2013

2009 2008

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown New Works, milford galleries queenstown Degrees of Connection, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, Australia Shapeshifter, Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Wellington The Earl Street Journal, milford galleries queenstown Spring Catalogue, milford galleries queenstown The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown New Works, Milford Galleries Dunedin The Fuping Group- Sharing the Experience, Sturt Gallery, Mittagong, Australia New Ceramic Works, Gallery 33, Wanaka Sculpture on the Shore, Auckland Diagram of Forces, Geoff Wilson Gallery, Whangarei Directors Best, Solander, Canberra, Australia Northern Exposure, Arthouse, Christchurch Crossroads, Warehouse Gallery, Shigaraki, Japan In Good Company, Skepsi Gallery, Melbourne, Australia WaiClay Art Awards (Guest exhibitor), Waikato Art Museum, Hamilton Portage Ceramic Awards, Lopdell House, Auckland Land Sea Sky, Arthouse, Christchurch China and Back Again, Arthouse, Christchurch Art in the Woolshed, Tawharanui Portage Ceramic Awards, Lopdell House, Auckland Art in the Woolshed, Tawharanui Art in the Environment, Wellington Portage Ceramic Awards, Lopdell House, Auckland Objectspace, Left at the members lounge, Auckland Waiheke Ceramics Awards, Waiheke Art gallery, Waiheke Omaha Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Omaha Portage Ceramic Awards, Lopdell House, Auckland

AWARDS & RESIDENCIES 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Three month residency in Shigaraki Cultural Sculpture Park, Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture, Japan Assistant in Aboriginal artist community, Ernabella, Northern Territories, Australia Premier Award, OBJECTive Premier Awards, Manakau Selected to represent New Zealand for 7 week residency at the Fuping International Ceramic Museums, Fu-le, China Merit Award, Portage Ceramic Awards, Auckland 3rd Prize, Manukau Vessel & Sculpture Exhibition, Auckland Ceramics Prize, Rodney District Art Awards Mention of Excellence, Portage Ceramic Awards,

COLLECTIONS New Zealand Embassy, Paris, France Work held in private collections in NZ, Australia, United States of America & United Kingdom Mark Mitchell 2015 CV P a g e |2

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz