looking forward - looking back - a recent survey

LOOKING FORWARD n LOOKING BACK n A RECENT SURVEY

-!2%! '!::!2$

UTOPIA ART SYDNEY DANKS ST WATERLOO

LOOKING FORWARD n LOOKING BACK n A RECENT SURVEY

-!2%! '!::!2$ UTOPIA ART SYDNEY APRIL n MAY

ESSAY BY $!6)$ -!,/5&

짜UTOPIA ART SYDNEY

-!2%! '!::!2$ WILL BE SEVENTY NINE THIS YEAR 3CULPTORS TEND TO HAVE LONG LIVES -ICHELANGELO LIVED TO "ERNINI TO (ENRY -OORE 3OME ARTISTS NEED TO LIVE LONG IF THE FULL BODY OF THEIR WORK IS TO EMERGE 4HE MOST IMPRESSIVE ASPECT OF -AREA 'AZZARD S LONG WORKING LIFE AND THE ONE THAT CONSTITUTES HER CLAIM ON OUR ATTENTION AS AN ARTIST OF THE lRST ORDER IS ITS INTEGRITY %VERYTHING -AREA 'AZZARD DOES EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES INTO NEW AREAS OF PRACTICE AND REFERENCE BELONGS TO A SINGLE SENSIBILITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS A SINGLE VISION OF WHAT A LIFE AND A BODY OF WORK WHEN COMPLETED AND SEEN WHOLE

MIGHT BE h/NE LIFE ONE WRITING v THE !MERICAN POET 2OBERT ,OWELL PROCLAIMED )N -AREA 'AZZARD S CASE AS IN THAT OF ANY COMPLETE ARTIST WE MIGHT SAY @ONE LIFE

ONE MAKING &ASCINATING TO OBSERVE OVER THE DECADES FROM THE EARLY POTS TO THE LARGE SCULPTURAL FORMS OF MORE RECENT EXHIBITIONS THE WHOLENESS OF WHAT SHE HAS ACHIEVED THE BOLDNESS WITH WHICH SHE HAS INCREASED THE SCALE OF HER WORKS

AND THE INTEGRITY WITH WHICH IN DOING SO SHE HAS KEPT TOUCH WITH BEGINNINGS HOW GROUNDED HER WORK REMAINS IN THE @EARTHY HOW CLOSE SHE HAS STAYED TO THE WORKING OF THAT MOST DOWN TO EARTH AND HANDS ON CLOSE AT HAND MEDIUM CLAY 4HAT SHE BEGAN AS A MAKER OF POTS A CRAFTSMAN IN THE %NGLISH AND THE *APANESE TRADITION DEDICATED TO THE INTIMATE AND DOMESTIC AND HAS MOVED ON TO BE WITH 2OBERT +LIPPEL THE lNEST OF OUR SCULPTORS REVEALS SOMETHING OF HOW ATTITUDES HAVE CHANGED OVER THESE LAST YEARS HOW THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ART AND CRAFT WHICH NOT SO LONG AGO WERE SEEN AS DIFFERENT AREAS OF MAKING WITH DIFFERENT AIMS AND PRETENSIONS TO SERIOUSNESS HAS BROKEN DOWN -AREA 'AZZARD HERSELF PLAYED A PART IN THE PUBLIC ARGUMENT THAT BROUGHT THIS ABOUT BUT THE REAL ARGUMENT IN HER CASE WAS IN HER REFUSAL TO ACCEPT THE DISTINCTION AND WAS DEMONSTRATED FOR ALL TO SEE IN WHAT SHE PRODUCED POTS THAT

AS THEY GREW LARGER AND MORE WAYWARD IN SHAPE MOVED FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ASSOCIATIONS OF USE AND BECAME CLOSED FORMS THAT ARE PURELY SCULPTURAL 7E GET SOME SENSE OF 'AZZARD S RANGE AND THE CONTINUOUS OPENING OUT OF HER VISION WHEN WE FOLLOW HER THROUGH THE FORMS SHE HAS BEEN DRAWN TO OUT THERE IN THE WORLD AND THE WAY SHE HAS DRAWN THEM IN TO HER REMAKING OF THEM AS EMBLEMS AS ELEMENTS IN HER OWN SCULPTURAL LANGUAGE &ORMS DRAWN

FROM NATURE AND THE LAND n BOULDERS WEATHERED HILLS FOSSILS GOURDS SEEDPODS n OR FROM THE SEA n THE mOWING LINES OF STINGRAYS IN mIGHT n OR FROM THE LONG HISTORY OF CULTURE n THE POTS AND BEAKERS OF DAILY DOMESTIC USE THE MASKS OF RITUAL THE SHIELDS

HELMETS BREASTPLATES SPEAR BLADES BARBS AND HAFTS OF WARFARE 7HAT IS REMARKABLE ESPECIALLY IN THE LARGER SCALE OF SOME OF THE LATER WORKS

IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH FOR ALL THEIR MONUMENTALITY THERE LINGERS IN THEM A STRONG SENSE OF THE INTIMATE 7ORKS THAT ARE CLEARLY AND INDISPUTABLY SCULPTURAL KEEP FAITH IN FEELING WITH WHAT BELONGS TO CRAFT !ND THERE IS BOLDNESS HERE IN THE CONlDENCE WITH WHICH 'AZZARD MOVES FROM A WOMAN S WORLD OF DOMESTIC ACTIVITY

AND UTILITY AND SUSTENANCE TO A MALE WORLD WHOSE WEAPONS AND ACCOUTREMENTS SHE APPROPRIATES AS IF THESE OBJECTS TOO DEPRIVED OF THEIR CAPACITY TO INTIMIDATE BUT RETAINING THE BEAUTY OF THEIR EFlCIENCY AND POWER HAVE THE SAME WEIGHT ONCE THEY ENTER HER WORLD AS ANY OTHER HUMAN ARTEFACT 4HIS @IMPERSONALITY IN HER ATTITUDE TO WHAT THE WORLD PRESENTS HER WITH EXPLAINS AS WELL THE EASE WITH WHICH SHE MOVES BETWEEN CULTURES FROM THE #YCLADES OR 0RE #OLUMBIAN 0ERU OR -EXICO TO #ENTRAL !USTRALIA THE LINK BEING IT SEEMS TO ME

NOT CULTURAL n THAT 'AZZARD S FEELING FOR ARCHAIC 'REEK FORMS MAY BE A RESPONSE TO HER OWN HERITAGE n BUT NATURAL EARTH ITSELF IN THE FORM OF CLAY BOTH AS A WORKABLE MATERIAL AND AS WHAT HUMAN MINDS AND HANDS IN THIS PLACE AND THAT HAVE DONE WITH WHAT IS NEAREST TO HAND A COMMODITY THAT IS RIGHT THERE UNDER OUR FEET 4HE POINT IS THAT FOR THE ARTIST THE WORLD IS BOTH EVER PRESENT AND TIMELESS (ISTORY IS ONE AS THE MAKER S LIFE AND CONSCIOUSNESS ARE ONE 4HE @5LURU AND @,ITTLE /LGAS SERIES SPRING FROM THE SAME RESPONSE IN -AREA 'AZZARD HERSELF AS A ROW OF HAFTS FROM THE WORKS SHE PRODUCED IN THE MID NINETIES OR THE MASKLIKE FORMS OF AN EXHIBITION OF TWO YEARS AGO 4HESE ARE ALL TO STEAL THE TITLE OF ANOTHER SERIES

@PERSONAGES IN A PRIVATE HISTORY THAT IN THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY THAT IS THE GIFT OF ARTISTS IS MADE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE TO US IN THE WORK (ER HANDS lND THEIR WAY HOME TO A LANDSCAPE THAT IS ALWAYS LOCAL IN THAT HER SENSIBILITY BELONGS TO IT IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT BELONGS CULTURALLY TO THE LONG HISTORY FROM THE #YCLADES TO (ANS #OPER OR (ENRY -OORE A HISTORY OF SHAPING CLAY AND LEAVING ON IT THE MARK OF YOUR THUMB OR THE SLASH OF THE SCULPTING KNIFE AND THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS @SOFT ACTIVITY IN THE HARDNESS THE PERMANENCY OF STONEWARE AND BRONZE

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UTOPIA ART SYDNEY DANKS ST WATERLOO