GROUNDED at Collect, Somerset House | Thrown

Tim Copsey Matthew Cronshaw Fernando Garcés Nina Gerada Karine Hilaire Clara Holt x Unurgent Argilla Zuleika Melluish Bisila Noha Michael Rice Unurgent Argilla Lucia Zamberletti Grounded

A curated collection by Thrown

for Collect at Somerset House (3rd - 5th March 23)

Grounded brings together eleven distinctive artists using clay to explore material connections, landscape and heritage

Image left: Wild kaolinitic clay from Valence Photograph by Unurgent Argilla

Zuleika Melluish ‘I am fascinated by the physical qual-

‘I enjoy the challenge of replicating

of leaves, stems and flowers. For some

ing and dissecting the living plant and

clay and continue to be captivated by

hand. I am awed by the complexity of

a logical progression then, to describe

botany, how every petal or leaf has a

scribing clay with the structure of

ripples or curves. These aspects lend

mensionally.’

though a repetitive process, each small

ity of plants: the textures and patterns

every detail of the plant: first observ-

years, I have been pressing plants into

then modelling each component by

the detail they leave behind. It seemed

a plant’s construction and, beyond its

plants sculpturally, moving from in-

subtle difference in the way it curls or

plants, to building their forms three-di-

themselves well to hand-making, so al-

‘This collection began with my trying

piece is satisfyingly unique.’

to find a way to capture the tangled

‘Living with these sculptures over the

growing in my garden and have seen

in spite of the static nature of the ma-

London. I love the way the neat scented

As when looking up into the canopy

contrast with the plant’s undisciplined

hanging in front of my studio window,

a delicacy in flower that belies its ram-

they continually respond to the play of

age-old architectural motif, but their

and the hardness of wire and porcelain

up of a tissue-thin corolla encased by

ingly organic life of their own, which is

juxtaposing the assumed fragility of

the awesome vitality of the plants that

messiness of the Jasmine that I have

past months, I am startled to see how,

tumbling over walls as I walk around

terial, they are constantly changing.

flowers and the precise pinnate leaves

of a tree or watching Wisteria flowers

rambling nature. Similarly Wisteria has

these pieces are full of movement as

pant strength. Acanthus leaves are an

light. The absence of colour or glaze

incredible sculptural flowers, made

allows the forms to take on a surpris-

spiny sepals, are often overlooked. By

a very satisfying outcome considering

porcelain with malleable wire attached

are my inspiration.’

and visually softened with tissue paper,

I aim to capture this contradiction of strength and delicacy which is so often a characteristic of plants and flowers.’

Detail of Jasmine (Wall Panel)

Zuleika Melluish is a London-based ce-

“Making a garden is a long, slow pro-

plants in both their physical form and

tance from my home in London, means

ramicist whose work seeks to describe

pictorially whether viewed individually or grouped together.

Her work takes direct inspiration from the plants around her, from the Wiste-

cess, and that, combined with its disit is an unruly garden untended for long

periods of time so that nature takes over: plants self seed and grow where

they will, wildlife nests and burrows without bounds. Every visit to the gar-

ria that covers the outdoors walls of her

den has a surprise with something new

garden that she has had the opportunity

or lawns or dell. Inevitably this makes

Kentish Town studio to the perennial

to create from scratch in the foothills of the Cambrian mountains in Wales.

and unplanned appearing in the beds me look closely at what is growing, of-

ten initially just to identify the plants that have appeared, and then to re-

spond with my own planting by trying

to combine with and compliment what is already there. Through these obser-

vations I became enchanted with the complexity and detail in the flowers

and foliage and have sought to capture both in my ceramics.”

Sunlight on Wisteria (Wall Panel)

Wisteria (Wall Panel) Porcelain, wire and abaca paper, mounted on wooden board H 122 cm, w 92cm, d 25 cm

Jasmine (Wall Panel) Porcelain, wire and abaca paper, mounted on wooden board H 122 cm, w 92 cm, d 20 cm

Acanthus 1, 2 & 3 Porcelain, wire, wood and abaca paper, mounted on wooden base H 74, 76 & 80 cm, ø 15 cm

Unurgent Argilla Nina Salsotto Cassina is an Italian ce-

The forms, inspired by the traditional

Argilla, focusing on material research

ple and sober to allow the properties

urgent Argilla is a vocabulary of wild

or thrown at the wheel, the moonjars

repeated on spherical vessels which

plasticity, grog and strength, with the

tial narrative. The final vases function

abstracting the vessel as little as possi-

ramicist. In 2019 she founded Unurgent

Korean moonjar, are purposefully sim-

of non-industrial wild materials. Un-

of the material to speak. Hand-built

materials, a study of what’s around us,

alter dependent on the clay body, its

she uses as a canvas to convey a spa-

goal of maintaining imperfections and

as both signposts and autobiographical

ble from its original earth.

archival memories.

The clays and rocks are collected in

She is currently focusing her research

small quantities, by hand, without pro-

and France, mainly in the Alps.

lessening energy consumption.

on foraging high fire clays from Italy

ducing any waste and fired just once,

Lago d’Orta 1 Wild clay from Lago d’Orta Hand-built. Fired in oxidation at 1220°C H 29 cm, ø 30 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from

This clay is mottled, heavily grogged

a big deposit of clay south of Lago

and highly plastic. For this vase, it was

d’Orta, where different types of clays

left completely unprocessed to retain

and kaolin have been mined for centu-

the natural pattern of the soil as found

ries.

in nature.

Valence Wild kaolinitic clay from Valence Turned at the wheel Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 34 cm, ø 34 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from a pool of secondary kaolin near

Valence, gathered at the base of a large

kaolin wall. This clay is found very pure in nature and doesn’t require any processing.

St Amand Wild clay from St-Amand-en-Puisaye Hand-built. Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 23 cm, ø 23 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from a big clay vein in Puisaye. It was

sieved to eliminate the high quantity of sand. The sections of clay stained by oxides were processed separately and

later loosely wedged with the lighter body to give back to the clay its natural mottledness.

The Puisaye region in France has a sec-

ular pottery tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, also thanks to the vast high fire clay deposits it sits upon.

Grenoble Wild kaolinitic clay from near Grenoble, wood ash Turned at the wheel. Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 25 cm, ø 25 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from

a pool of secondary kaolin near Grenoble, gathered at the base of a large kaolin wall.

The body was finely processed, cor-

rected with around 3% bentonite for better plasticity, and thrown, to be later

covered by the same wild clay, but unprocessed and coarser.

Treigny Wild clay from Treigny Thrown at the wheel. Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 27 cm, ø 26 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from a big clay vein next to a road in Treigny, Puisaye. It was sieved to separate the

sand, which was then reintroduced in

smaller quantities. It was thrown at the wheel and later pierced with ochre and sandstone pebbles removed from the

initial clay. Raw glazed with wood ashes, it was fired in an electric kiln.

The Puisaye region in France has a sec-

ular pottery tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, also thanks to the vast high fire clay deposits it sits upon.

Lago d’Orta 2 Wild clay from Lago d’Orta Thrown at the wheel Fired in oxidation at 1220°C H 25 cm, ø 26 cm

The clay for this vase was foraged from a big deposit of clay south of Lago

d’Orta, where different types of clays

and kaolin have been mined for centuries.

This clay is mottled, heavily grogged and highly plastic. For this vase, it was

left completely unprocessed to retain also the biggest particles of grog and

In the peak of imperfection it becomes

face of the vessel at the wheel.

ing but also the character of each clay.

let them rip, dent and write on the sur-

more visible both the gesture of throw-

Tim Copsey The Peak District Pennine landscape

Tim finds deep inspiration in Japanese

everything Tim Copsey makes: this is

ments in camouflage such as dazzle,

and sculpture; in essence vases, bowls,

tionist art.

ally just ‘Serving Suggestions’.

In addition to being a potter, he works

Works such as the Waterfall pieces

as a film maker. This affords him the

depicting how water races over and

ics and film overlap. “I’m interested

as direct a reference to pouring as the

can incorporate its subject”, this has

form.

‘Serving Suggestions’.

and its seasons are the backdrop to

forms and techniques, early experi-

pottery on the border between function

prehistoric ceramic forms and Situa-

bottles and cups, although these are re-

with artists and creative organisations

are directly inspired by observing and

opportunity to investigate how ceram-

around rocks, glistening and reflective,

in the performative nature of how film

onomatopoeic ‘tok tok’ of the tokkuri

resulted in a series of short films called

Surfaces are built up over multiple firings, often starting in the wood kiln

and ending with lustres. His work has been described as ‘beautifully ugly’ or like ‘space debris’ - he hopes that the

work is playful, elemental if occasionally jarring or surprising and ultimate-

ly resonant of their materiality and the landscape from which they derive.

Detail of Snow (Blossom Vase)

Billionaires Will Steal Our Moon Stoneware (wood fired), black clay, black and white porcelain surface with Bleaklow grit H 43 cm, w 43 cm, d 11 cm

Smashing a Jewellers Window (Bloomsbury) Stoneware (wood fired), wood ash and oribe glaze with cobalt and gold details H 45 cm, w 45 cm, d 11 cm

Cherry Blossom (Blossom Vase) Earthenware (electric fired), hand painted cobalt detail with tinted tin glazes and gold lustre H 36 cm, w 29 cm, d 9 cm

Snow (Blossom Vase) Stoneware black clay (electric fired), shino, ash and oribe glazes with silver and gold lustres H 32 cm, w 29 cm, d 9 cm

Issues Edge Vase Stoneware black clay, black porcelain dust and bleaklow grit, tenmoku glaze and silver lustre H 27 cm, w 36 cm, d 9 cm

Issues Edge - Waterfall Tokkuri Earthenware, ‘glitter’ and tin glaze with stone and porcelain inclusions and gold lustre H 17 cm, w 16 cm

Waterfall Tokkuri Earthenware, ‘glitter’, pink, copper and cobalt with stone and porcelain inclusions and gold lustre H 16 cm, w 14 cm

Waterfall Tokkuri Earthenware, ‘glitter’, pink, copper and cobalt with stone and porcelain inclusions and gold lustre H. 15 cm, w. 13 cm

Michael Rice ‘In my work I’m attempting to create

Michael is a member of the Interna-

are difficult to date to a specific culture

Geneva and the IAC UNESCO repre-

sculptures, surfaces and textures that

tional Academy of Ceramics based in

or place: my aim is that the aesthetic of

sentative for the UAE.

ing but also has a familiarity because

In 2016 Michael exhibited as a final-

niques that make the most out of the

the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei

the completed object is visually strikof the form and the post-firing tech-

ist in the Taiwan Ceramic Biennale at

least materials.’

where his work was acquired for the

‘The finishes are straightforward yet

museum’s permenant collection.

complex and this creates a dialectic

He was the runner-up in the Van Cleef

meaning, moving into iconic or cere-

signer Prize. In 2019 he was a finalist

with the shape of the pieces creates a

in 2020 was again been selected as a

presence.’

nale. In 2021 he exhibited in the Ce-

Michael Rice is an Irish artist, design-

Singapore Art Week and was also a fi-

in ceramics; his work is concerned with

Japan.

stalt principles and archetypal forms.

Michael is the Chair of the Visual

Michael has a Degree in Fine Craft

Associate Professor of Studio Art in

that I feel transcends simple visual

& Arpels Middle East Emergent De-

monial territory. This complemented

in the Korean Ceramic Biennale and

synthesis that gives them an archetypal

finalist for the Taiwan Ceramic Bien-

er, maker and educator who specialises

surface, texture, natural geometry, ge-

Design, a Postgraduate Certificate

ramic Expressions exhibition as part of nalist in the KOGEI Award in Toyama,

Communication Department and an the American University in Dubai.

in Education (Art and Design), and a Master’s Degree in Multi-Disciplinary Design, all from the University of Ulster, Belfast. His work is exhibited internationally.

Detail of Blue Fragment

Blue Fragment Stoneware, wall hung with french cleat on back H 68 cm, w 46 cm, d 13 cm

Red Fragment Stoneware, wall hung with french cleat on back H 62 cm, w 40 cm, d 18 cm

Black Luster Fragment Vessel Stoneware H 58 cm, w 35 cm, d 34 cm

Metallic Fragment Vessel Stoneware H 55 cm, w 39 cm, d 40 cm

Axosmilia Stoneware, wall hung with separate small mount H 59 cm, w 59 cm, d 8 cm

Black Luster Fragment Stoneware, wall hung with small mount on back H 58 cm, w 38 cm, d 17 cm

Lucia Zamberletti ‘My approach to ceramics has been

‘I also value imperfection which is a

with my own hands after several years

in ceramics. I like to underline it in my

raw and pure with an urgency to create

distinctive concept both in nature and

of working in the fashion industry as a

works because it is how I mostly feel as

product developer.’

a human being.’

‘I love to observe nature and live sur-

‘I use both an electric kiln firing at low

of the seasons leaves me with many im-

raku kiln firing mainly at 920°- 950°. I

form into sculptural pieces.’

and mixing them up with engobes and

‘I like to manipulate the clay, paying

find different colour combinations.’

the present. I often ride the wave of

Lucia Zamberletti is an Italian ceramic

pieces that spread an idea of beauty.

Europe and in the USA.

rounded by it, witnessing the changing

temperatures: 950°- 980°- 1020°- and a

pressions of natural life which I trans-

like to experiment with layers of glazes

attention to its suggestions and live in intuition and pleasure and make joyful I like to think that they can speak for

themselves despite of who I am and where I come from.’

oxides, obsessed with experimenting to

artist who has shown her work across

Artichoke #3 Fire clay, red clay and lilac clay, layers of coloured glazes and copper oxide Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° Fired in a raku kiln with metal gold & yellow glazes at 900° H 20 cm, ø 16 cm

Bloomen #55 Red clay, fire clay and green clay with iron wire. Engobes, transparent glaze, red iron oxide and coloured and crackle glazes. Fired in an electric kiln at 950°, 980° and 1020°. Fired in a raku kiln with gold metallic glaze at 900° H 38 cm, ø 10 cm

Funghi #45 White clay and fire clay with layers of matt & shiny coloured glazes, engobes and oxides. Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° Fired in a raku kiln with green copper silver glazes at 920° H 31 cm, ø 13 cm

Bloomen #58 Red clay, fire clay and lilac clay Engobes and transparent glaze, matt glazes and layers of coloured glaze Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° H 29 cm, ø 13 cm

Funghi #46 White clay and blue fire clay Layers of coloured glazes, crackle transparent glaze and copper oxide Fired in an electric kiln at 950°, 980° and 1020° H 34 cm, ø 8 cm

Funghi #51 Red clay and fire clay, matt glaze, layers of coloured glazes and oxides Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° Fired in a raku kiln with metal gold glaze at 900° H 23 cm, ø 15 cm

Tulip #4 Red clay and yellow clay Layers of coloured glazes, engobes and oxides Fired in an electric kiln at 950° & 1020° H 36 cm, ø 8 cm

Funghi #40 Red clay & yellow clay, layers of coloured glazes and engobes Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° H 29 cm, ø 17 cm

Funghi #37 Red clay, fire clay, coloured and metallic glazes, engobes and transparent glaze Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020°. Fired in a raku kiln at 920° H 17 cm, ø 10 cm

Bloomen #40 Red clay with layers of coloured glazes and metallic glazes Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020° H 40 cm, ø 14 cm

Sassi Fioriti #15 Red clay with layers of coloured glazes & metallic glazes Fired in an electric kiln at 950° and 1020°. Fired in a raku kiln at 920° H 34 cm, ø 10 cm

Bisila Noha Bisila Noha is a Spanish ceramic art-

Her work has been featured in many

from influences and explorations of her

Times and the New York Times.

age. Bisila aims to challenge Western

Notable exhibitions include the Crafts

we understand as productive and wor-

2021 and in 2022 the landmark exhi-

upon the idea of home and one-ness

ple Place - presenting the work of Ladi

different pottery communities.

Noha, three generations of Black wom-

ist based in London. Her work draws

Spanish and Equatorial Guinean herit-

publications including the Financial

views on art and craft; to question what

Council’s exhibition ‘Maker’s Eye’ in

thy in capitalist societies; and to reflect

bition ‘Body Vessel Clay’ at Two Tem-

pulling from personal experiences in

Kwali, Magdalene Odundo and Bisila

Her practice extends from wheelthrown pieces with the distinctive addition of marbled slip decoration to cre-

en artists working with clay.

In 2022, two of Bisila’s sculptures were acquired by the V&A museum.

ate eye-catching abstract landscapes; to sculptural pieces that mix throwing,

coiling and carving and connect Bisila

to her roots, the makers that precede her and our past.

Photo credit: Karina Smagulova

Reunion XV Wheel-thrown, coiled and carved terracotta H 29 cm, w 22 cm, d 11 cm

About

the

series

‘Searching

for

Kouame Kakaha: A celebration of the

unnamed women of clay; our shared mothers and grandmothers’:

“Guided by my heritage of a love of

Though

disconnected

geographical-

search of my mother’s garden, I found

shaped our past and influenced our

Our Mothers’ Gardens’.

need to know about them, immerse my-

This body of work represents the now.

their vessels tell.

now.

So this is where I am at.

As a young woman, an artist, in search

Vessels and sculptures evoking the

millennia-long lineage of women who

es, fingerprints. Endless curiosity. The

whose identity was shaped as the soil

tives. Wanting to feel grounded by up-

beauty and a respect for strength — in

ly and temporally, these women have

my own.” Alice Walker, ‘In Search of

present. If I want to know who I am, I

It is nothing more than who I am right

self in the stories that the silhouettes of

of my own voice and my place in a

whispers I have heard. Figurines, trac-

have been working with clay. Women

unknown, the many different perspec-

they stood on did in their hands.

rooting and rerooting. Heart wide open.

I found a home in the houses of wom-

One stop of a life-long journey. In

the way their bodies danced with the

for now.

en potters in Mexico and Morocco - in clay; in their smiles. In the vessels of Kouame Kakaha (Ivory Coast, ca. 1960

- known date), Ladi Kwali or Mama Aicha. In the goddesses born in unknown Palaeolithic hands.

searching I will find. This is the now

Bisila Noha

Reunion XVII Wheel-thrown, coiled and carved terracotta H 27 cm, w 24 cm, d 11.5 cm

Reunion XVIII Wheel-thrown, coiled and carved terracotta H 24.5 cm, w 23 cm, d 11 cm

Reunion XIX Wheel-thrown, coiled and carved terracotta H 25 cm, w 25 cm, d 12 cm

Reunion XX Wheel-thrown, coiled and carved terracotta H 25.5 cm, w 24 cm, d 12 cm

Dancing Goddess II Terracotta H 38.5 cm, w 20 cm, d 19 cm

Ignis V Wheel-thrown and coiled terracotta with plaster H 26 cm, w 24 cm, d 12 cm

About the series Ignis: The materiality of the self:

We all carry a fire

Bringing these two materials and the

Our inner child

together, has allowed me to be more

It keeps us warm, it brightens our lives.

Play, fun. No rules, no expectations.

Creative, present.

All that I once sacrificed. Achieving, becoming, arriving ruled my life. Ignis is my pathway to a balanced existence.

Clay. The soil we stand on, we come

from. It requires patience, steadiness, a slow pace. It needs care, attentiveness to be shaped, to prevent ruin.

My adult, my parent.

Plaster, on the other hand, is the child.

Spontaneous, quick.

One minute liquid, the next hard like a stone. Be here or it is gone.

different qualities they have and foster me, to get closer to a sense of wholeness. Letting that fire burn, shine, while remaining grounded, nurtured.

A balance resulting from the combina-

tion of materials I had once been told should not be combined. I transcended

that conflict to find the joy and peace I had lacked.

Bisila Noha

Ignis VII Wheel-thrown and coiled terracotta with plaster H 20 cm, ø 20 cm

Ignis VIII Wheel-thrown and coiled terracotta with plaster H 41 cm, ø 25 cm

Karine Hilaire ‘I have always been inspired by a mix

Karine Hilaire was born in the rocky

textiles and crafts from Africa, Latin

France and her craft was informed by

of cultural influences, especially by

back country of the Ardèche region in

America and Asia where I used to de-

its jagged contrasting landscapes.

ers.’

Her love for textures, prints and colour

‘This specific collection was inspired

a career in fashion developing collec-

the outside and round on the inside,

ed an artisan degree and co-founded a

velop collections for fashion design-

brought her to Paris where she began

from a silver bangle, ellipse shaped on

tions for designers. She later complet-

that my grandmother found while liv-

ceramics studio.

ture, bangles are not just ornaments;

Karine moved to London in 2015 to

prosperity. Hoops as a circle represent

makers and now works from a studio in

ing in Central America. In Indian cul-

they symbolize femininity, health and

find a vibrant community of inspiring

strength, unity, infinity and wholeness.’

Kentish Town.

‘In this collection, many of the hoops

Her inspirations come primarily from

different places, and in different or-

tiles inspired from trips to India, Mex-

forms and motifs. Taking them apart

these influences to create boldly pat-

provides a tactile experience as well as

between functionality and sculpture.

can be interchanged or positioned in

crafts like basketry, batik and ikat tex-

ders to create interactions between the

ico and Asia. She enjoys combining all

and hanging them in a different way

terned pieces seeking to find a space

a decorative and creative liberty.’

Image: Zebra Elephant Ear Vessel All photographs for Karine Hilaire by Michael Harvey

Zebra Cylinder Vessel with Oval Hoops White fleck stoneware with hand painted pattern and transparent matte glaze H 31 cm, w 21 cm, d 12 cm

Zebra Composed Vessel with Double Handles and Hoops White fleck stoneware with sgraffito pattern and transparent matte glaze on interior H 32 cm, w 18.5 cm, d 17 cm

Zebra Vessel with Maxi Hoops White fleck stoneware with sgraffito pattern and transparent matte glaze on interior H 36 cm, w 46 cm, d 24.5 cm

Zebra Elephant Ear Vessel White fleck stoneware with hand painted pattern and transparent matte glaze H 30.5 cm, w 19 cm, d 15 cm

Zebra Kettle Vessel White fleck stoneware with hand painted pattern and transparent matte glaze H 35 cm, w 19 cm, d 19 cm

Zebra Composed Vessel with Moon Hoop White fleck stoneware with hand painted pattern and transparent matte glaze H 36 cm, w 16.5 cm, d 12 cm

Ebony Sgraffito Dog Ear Vessel White fleck stoneware, sgraffito pattern, transparent matte glaze on interior H 28 cm, w 29 cm, d 21 cm

Ebony Sgraffito Rabbit Ear Vessel White fleck stoneware, sgraffito pattern, transparent matte glaze on the interior H 34 cm, w 23.5 cm, d 16 cm

Ebony Sgraffito Moon Vessel with Large Hoops White fleck stoneware, sgraffito pattern, transparent matte glaze on interior H 21 cm, w 24 cm, d 24 cm

Nina Gerada Nina Gerada was raised in a land of

Still unfired, Gerada slices her tightly

of adulthood she moved to a country of

tions. The pieces are contemplatively

had a rigorous and traditional technical

and connections across multiple scales.

has been drawn to pattern finding and

once protection and a means of escape.

limestone, dust and roots. At the onset

evocative sculptures into smaller sec-

humus and clay. From an early age she

recomposed, searching for patterns

training, but for all her artistic life she

Spaces are uncovered, providing at

collage. Ceramic lends itself to neither.

Courtyards, rooms and tombs appear as

Gerada’s work remembers archeologi-

breasts and vulvas. Totemic symbols

female form, bricks, blueprints, type-

giving vessels, of mothering and the

Her process begins by carving and

the impulse to be embedded in the

adding insertions. These broad actions

and connectedness.

tooled forms that skirt close to figura-

Firing clay exacts irreversible molec-

ples of her homeland.

sition of human agency on geological

reflections of women’s bodies, wombs,

cal digs, maps, empty swimming, the

intertwining notions of women as life

setting blocks, the home, the temple.

psychological theories of containment,

tearing the clay, exposing fault lines,

rock, and a yearning for community

are combined with bold but intricately

tive imaginings of the megalithic tem-

ular change - ceramics are the impotime. Honouring this; Gerada’s recent

work is often intentionally cracked in the kiln, reminding us of weathered

buildings and ageing skin. This stochastic movement makes connections between timescales: the artist and her

life story; her audience and its prehistory.

Detail of Gold 2

Nina Gerada is a Maltese artist, de- This is Gerada’s second year at Collect

signer and teacher. She is a graduate having exhibited with Thrown Contemof London Metropolitan University porary in 2022. Amongst other exhibi-

(2011), The Bartlett School of Archi- tions, Gerada has exhibited at London tecture, UCL (2006), Chelsea College Craft Week (2021) and as part of The

of Art (2003) and is a Higher Education Daphne Festival (2022) commemoratTeaching Fellow (2018).

ing the assassination of Maltese jour-

nalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. She has

Her sculptures merge figurative and collaborated with The Bbook Project

architectural motifs, exploring the in- and exhibited at ‘Let’s Talk Breast’.

terconnectedness between buildings, Gerada is a member of Spilt Milk Galcommunities and people. References lery, a collective of artist mothers, and to the Neolithic statues, temples and has participated in ‘Maternochron-

artefacts of Malta appear in her work, ics’ (2021) and ‘Cartography of Care’ exploring the female, immigrant and (2022) both exploring themes of parpost-colonial experience. Her training enting and care through art. in architecture and urban design are

evident in the vast scales and spatial Her ‘Nollini’ sculptures were featured preoccupation of her work.

in Wired Magazine (2021). In her work as a Production Designer on the feature

film ‘Simshar’, Gerada won the Best

Production Design Award at the Bridg-

es International Film Festival (2014).

She is currently collaborating with Caz Hildebrand and a brick works to develop large public sculptures.

Nina holding Gold 1

Gold 1 Ceramic and steel H 37 cm, w 28 cm, d 7 cm

Gold 2 Ceramic and steel H 33 cm, w 22 cm, d 10 cm

Gold 3 Ceramic and steel H 28 cm, w 22 cm, d 9 cm

Black 1 Ceramic and steel H 25 cm, w 30 cm, d 8 cm

Black 2 Ceramic and steel H 28 cm, w 30 cm, d 6.5 cm

Clara Holt x Unurgent Argilla Sonia Pasquinelli, aka Clara Holt, is an

In 2021, Clara Holt and Unurgent Ar-

completed her classical studies and

specific places through their combined

literature, Greek epics and the surreal-

decoration.

search and personal interpretation of

Together they are working on a series

a one-off, illustrated with a drawing

with different wild clays and rocks col-

hood stories.

thrown and the illustration is specific

Nina Salsotto Cassina is an Italian ce-

collected.

Argilla, focusing on material research

Their first vessels together focused on

urgent Argilla is a vocabulary of wild

are now working with a wider range of

repeated on spherical vessels, which

foraged mainly around the Alps.

Italian illustrator and a decorator. She

gilla started a collaboration to narrate

has always had a passion for classical

styles of storytelling: materials and

ist current, which guide her in her reher subjects. Each piece she makes is

of vessels and tiles made and decorated

inspired by places, mythology or child-

lected throughout Italy. Each piece is

ramicist. In 2019 she founded Unurgent

to the setting where the materials were

of non-industrial wild materials. Un-

volcanic rocks from Pantelleria, they

materials, a study of what’s around us,

wild high fire clays, slips and oxides

she uses as a canvas to convey a spa-

tial narrative. The final vases function as both signposts and autobiographical archival memories.

Nina Salsotto Cassina (left) and Clara Holt (right)

I hugged a wolf Wild red clay and kaolin slip from Bisalta Turned at the wheel. Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 23 cm, ø 23 cm

Deep roots and tangled foliage. A rustle in the bushes nearby.

Shadows run in the silence, like elusive ghosts among the birch trees.

Growling, biting, bleeding like heartless hunters.

The wolf sighs, and lonely sings his sad wolf song.

I hugged a wolf: but was I dreaming?

The clay for this vase was foraged from

a deposit of quartzitic clay on Mt Bisalta. The bright kaolin slip comes from just a few hundred metres below, from a small vein of weathered Bisaltite, a

type of green rhyolite typical of the mountain.

The vessel was thrown at the wheel and later decorated with the sgraffito technique.

Mt Bisalta is a mountain in the south

of Piedmont. It’s a special place for its

recognizable two-tops shape visible

from all around the region, a symbol of the Italian Resistenza and the par-

tisans’ liberation fight from the fascist regime.

I eat mushrooms, I am slow Wild clay and red ochre wash from Puisaye Turned at the wheel. Fired in oxidation at 1250°C H 24 cm, ø 24.5 cm

No one pokes their nose into the small

world. A people of beings with wide hats and earthy feet. Fragile to the

touch, and deadly to the tongue. In the soggy fresh soil, snails crawl, clothed

only in their tiny homes. Sensuous curves, gentle bites.

The clay for this vase was foraged from

the Puisaye region. The red oxide wash

is made from limonite pebbles sieved from the clay itself.

The vessel was thrown at the wheel and later decorated with the sgraffito technique.

The Puisaye region in France has a sec-

ular pottery tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, also thanks to the vast high fire clay deposit it sits upon.

I see as a lizard, I bloom as a flower Wild red clay and kaolin slip from Bisalta Fired in oxidation at 1250°C ø 32.5 cm

She winters in blankets of leaves and cracks of logs.

She lives in the midst of the flame without pain, her icy gaze extinguishes the fire with a breath.

She slips out when the flowers bloom,

stretching their long green arms in the shadow of the mountain peaks, weaving the thoughts of men.

When I see you, I am a lizard in the sun.

The clay for this large round tile was

foraged from a deposit of quartzitic clay on Mt Bisalta. The bright kaolin slip comes from just a few hundred me-

tres below, from a small vein of weathered Bisaltite, a type of green rhyolite typical of the mountain.

It is decorated with the sgraffito technique.

Mt Bisalta is a mountain in the south

of Piedmont. It’s a special place for its

recognizable two-tops shape visible

from all around the region, a symbol of the Italian Resistenza and the par-

tisans’ liberation fight from the fascist regime.

Sometimes I wear my beast head Wild clay and limonite wash from Puisaye Fired in oxidation at 1250°C ø 31.5 cm

In the city, we are caged, with concrete walls so high,

Our spirits yearn for freedom, beneath the endless sky,

We dream of open spaces, where our hearts can truly soar,

And turn wild, like the creatures that we were meant to be before.

So we venture to the wilderness, where the air is pure and clear,

And leave behind the noise, the chaos, and the fear,

We breathe in the freshness, and let our souls ignite,

As we turn wild, and bask in the rustle of the night.

We run with deers, we dance with the bears,

We roll with boars, and let our laughter fill the air,

We walk in the light of the moon, and let the stars guide us home,

As we turn wild, and let our true selves roam.

The clay for this large tile was foraged from the Puisaye region. The yellow

oxide wash is made from limonite pebbles sieved from the clay itself. It is decorated with the sgraffito technique.

The Puisaye region in France has a sec-

ular pottery tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, also thanks to the vast high fire clay deposit it sits upon.

I flow with swans Wild pink granitic clay and weathered basalt from Ardèche Fired in oxidation at 1220°C ø 31.5 cm

I saw two swans the other day.

Their whiteness ruffled pillows of soft feathers.

You said: do you know that with their wings they can break a man’s arm?

They glided in the gentle undertow, between swirls and eddies.

They reminded me of those little swan-

shaped pedal boats from which we used to dive down the river.

You said: do you know that swans con-

stantly put their heads under water obsessed with having their shoes untied?

The materials for this large tile were

foraged in Ardèche. The refractory body comes from a deposit of weath-

ered pink granite, while the vitrified clay that decorates it is made of a partially weathered red basalt found nearby.

The tile was decorated with the sgraffito technique.

I took a bath with the moon Wild pink granitic clay and weathered basalt from Ardèche Fired in oxidation at 1220°C ø 31.5 cm

Remember that time we found the old book in the dusty attic,

and we wanted to brew a magic potion?

“Different times of the lunar cycle can produce different energetic effects” it said

“Waning moon: best for forgiveness,

letting go, giving thanks, releasing, and grounding.”

We plunged up to the navels in the mirror of frozen water.

“The sky must be clear so the water can absorb all the silver rays through the glass jar”.

But the first time the ostrich egg yolk stuck to the bottom of the cauldron.

The second time, the willow bark was too dry.

And that time we got distracted chasing fireflies?

Then we grew old, and we didn’t believe it any more.

The materials for this large tile were

foraged in Ardèche. The refractory body comes from a deposit of weath-

ered pink granite, while the vitrified clay that decorates it is made of a partially weathered red basalt found nearby.

The tile was decorated with the sgraffito technique.

Fernando Garcés ‘I had contact with ceramics from a

Fernando Garcés studied ceramics at

ure of working with different clays and

drid. Throughout the last thirty years,

tion as it passed through the kiln, the

perience, study and constant relation-

helped me to “understand” the world of

ferent countries. In 1991 he joined the

ums, their history...’

of Ceramics, of which he was director

very young age. I discovered the pleas-

the Official School of Ceramics in Ma-

materials, surprised by its transforma-

his work has evolved as a result of ex-

many creative possibilities. Ceramics

ships with artists and potters from dif-

art, enjoy the pieces I found in muse-

“Talavera” School of Art as a professor

‘My workshop is dedicated to making

from 2014-2017.

unique ceramic pieces using the pot-

Fernando’s work can be seen in differ-

in Talavera de la Reina, a world- re-

and international collections including

with centuries of tradition.’

ic Museum of Deruta, Italy, Museum of

‘Opposite materials coexist in my

FLICAM, International Contemporary

clay, enhancing even more, if possible,

among others.

ter’s wheel as the main tool, located

ent museums, institutions and national

nowned ceramic production center

Museum of the City of Madrid, Ceram-

work, from white porcelain to rough the qualities of each one.’

Fine Arts of Kaoshiung, Taiwan, andCeramic Art Museum, Fuping, China,

About the series White Star: Wheel-thrown porcelain vessels, with

straight shapes, and sometimes asym-

metrical, broken and textured lips, which bring tradition closer to our

days, evoking the most classic and elegant European porcelains of past centuries with a renewed classicism.

The pieces transmit delicacy and

strength at the same time, maintaining the freshness with which they came

out of the potter’s wheel. Finger marks can be seen on them, which make each

piece unique and break the monotony of the surface.

They rest on small porcelain legs, also golden, which create interesting con-

trasts between the irregular and textured edge of the vessel, and the precise and sharp legs on which it stands.

Fernando Garcés

White Star 1 Wheel-thrown and glazed porcelain with gold lustre H 24 cm, ø 9 cm

White Star 3 Wheel-thrown and glazed porcelain with gold lustre H 28 cm, ø 11.5 cm

White Star 2 Wheel-thrown and glazed porcelain with gold lustre H 24.5 cm, ø 12.5 cm

About the series Southern Skies: A pair of semicircular pieces, thrown

in white stoneware, which contrast between fullness and emptiness, resound-

ing and lightness, between the blue of the southern skies and the warm glow of the sun, which with simple profiles

dances freely on the surface where it

rests, imposing its presence to connect us to the earth.

The exterior glaze, created by simple ash melted during firing, offers us

characteristic and unmistakable surfaces, which evoke the effects caused by ancient oriental kilns.

Clear and concrete work, where the

essence of tradition, nature and forms coexist.

Fernando Garcés

Southern Sky 1 Wheel-thrown stoneware with ash glaze and gold lustre ø 31 cm

Southern Sky 2 Wheel-thrown stoneware with ash glaze ø 29 cm

About the series Hidden Light: Resounding pieces, with simple profiles, to which we can peek into, at-

tracted by the sparkles of gold, moving freely on the surface on which they rest.

The gold luster of the interior is perceived as the glow of lava coming out

of a volcano, or the flash of lightning in the sky, and contrasts with the exterior finish, in which the melted black glaze

slides over the nude paste of the color of the earth with the force of nature.

In them you can see the way in which

they have been built, the marks of the potter’s hands, the natural flow of the glazes.

Fernando Garcés

Hidden Light 1 Wheel-thrown stoneware, black glaze and gold lustre ø 25 cm

Hidden Light 2 Wheel-thrown stoneware, black glaze and gold lustre ø 26 cm

Hidden Light 3 Wheel-thrown stoneware, ash glaze and gold lustre ø 26 cm

Photograph by Will Hearle for OmVed Gardens

The clay, sometimes naked, evokes

the colours of the earth, and show the potter’s fingerprints as the only dec-

oration. The ash are transformed into

glazes, creating rivers, fields, snow, water... The traditional techniques and

the surrounding materials make each

work unique, they bring us closer to nature, with its own personality.

The gold inside the pieces is perceived

as the glow of lava coming out of a volcano, or the radiance of a lightning

in the sky, while at the same time, it roots us with the production of Hispano-Moresque

lusterware,

or

the

golden European porcelains. The clean profiles, reduced to their essence and stripped of any distraction, focus on

sobriety, tranquillity, rhythm, propor-

tion, and movement, to transmit in a timeless way the essence of an ancient

activity. Simple pieces that reflect the

personality of the potter, his referenc-

es, his tastes, his training, and his experience.

Early Snow Wheel-thrown stoneware and white glaze ø 25 cm

Midsummer Wheel-thrown stoneware and white glaze ø 23.5 cm

Volcano Wheel-thrown stoneware, ash glaze and gold lustre ø 25.5 cm

Autumn 1 Wheel-thrown stoneware and white glaze ø 24.5 cm

Matthew Cronshaw ‘At the very core of my practice is a

Matthew Cronshaw is a Manches-

years I have been working in porcelain

uses porcelain to pursue technically

mastering the techniques and process-

temporary aesthetic.

mastery of material. For the past three

ter-based ceramicist. Self-taught, he

and I have lead myself down the path of

difficult hand thrown forms with a con-

es that reflect what I see when I think of porcelain. I think of a showcase in refinement,

delicacy,

translucency,

texture and decadence. Each piece per-

fectly paired back, no distractions from

the material itself: the only allowable expressions are ones that enhance what I imagine porcelain should be.’

‘A harmony must be struck between

what the material wants to exhibit and what I myself as the craftsmen want to showcase. It is the desire to learn

this joint language fully that guides

my work, leading me down a path of forever changing, throwing, refining, trimming and firing.’

Moon Jar Wheel-thrown porcelain with chattered surface H 49 cm, ø 37 cm

Moon Jars Thrown in porcelain, Matthew’s Moon Jars explore and expand on the traditional Moon Jar forms and methods.

Drawn to the subtle flattening often found around the join of traditional moon jars, Matthew elaborates on this feature, accentuating its appearance.

The contrast between a smooth satin finish and chattered sections of the body bring attention, yet also veil the accentuated shape.

Moon Jar 2 Wheel-thrown porcelain with chattered surface H 24 cm, ø 23 cm

Lantern 1 Wheel-thrown porcelain with chattered surface H 53 cm, ø 12 cm

Lantern 1 is a tall narrow cylinder with segmented chattering, trimmed to Lanterns

a tolerance which utilises porcelains translucent qualities, highlighting the

Matthew’s lantern cylinders explore

varying chatter marks when lit from the

further into light and shadow, which is

inside, offering a different perspective

thematic in his other works.

to this texture from his other works.

Stemmed Objects Thrown

in

porcelain,

Matthews

stemmed objects are a an exercise into the technical difficulties of porcelain works.

Matthew tries to convey a harmony between architectural construction and firing methodology with a refined approach to aesthetic. Soft lines and delicate texture veiling the arduous and technical practicality.

Stemmed Object 1 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 29 cm, ø 9 cm

Stemmed Object 2 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 28 cm, ø 9 cm

Stemmed Object 3 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 17 cm, ø 8 cm

Stemmed Object 4 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 15 cm, ø 16 cm

Stemmed Object 5 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 26 cm, ø 8 cm

Stemmed Object 6 Wheel-thrown porcelain, snow glaze interior and chattered body H 15 cm, ø 18 cm

Stemmed Moons Thrown

in

porcelain,

Matthew’s

stemmed Moons offer contrast and scale to his larger works in this collection, bringing attention and appreciation to aspects of each which may go unseen, alone.

As an exercise into the technical difficulties of porcelain works, Matthew tries to convey a harmony between architectural construction and firing methodology with a refined approach to aesthetic. Soft lines and delicate texture veiling the arduous and technical practicality.

Detail of Stemmed Moon 1

Stemmed Moon 1 Wheel-thrown porcelain and chattered body H 16 cm, ø 9 cm

Stemmed Moon 2 Wheel-thrown porcelain and chattered body H 16 cm, ø 8 cm

Stemmed Moon 3 Wheel-thrown porcelain and chattered body H 17 cm, ø 10 cm

Stemmed Moon 4 Wheel-thrown porcelain and chattered body H 15 cm, ø 8 cm

Published by Thrown to coincide with the curated collection Grounded at Collect at Somerset House.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducted, stored in a re-

trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers.

Photography by the artists and Thrown unless otherwise cited.

Image on cover: Funghi #46 by Lucia Zamberletti

THROWN

gallery@throwncontemporary.co.uk throwncontemporary.co.uk

+44(0)7443 522689

THROWN

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