Exhibition with bowls made by Ann van Hoey (B) and Rachel Wood (GB). Both artists work with ceramic pot forms, though their work is very different regarding development and effect. While Ann van Hoey approaches ultimate perfection in simplicity, Rachel Wood works with natural and fanciful decoration.
Both artists execute the ceramic techniques masterfully, leading to admirable results. Striking in Van Hoey’s work is that the soft clay is perfectly cut and molded. Control over the material is evident in her bowls. With Wood, the applied effects seem to emerge through natural processes during construction and firing, but similarly, in her work every step is measured and thought through.
Inspired by the Japanese art of paper-folding, Ann van Hoey exhibits bowls in the natural color of the clay as well as a few which are brightly-colored. These bowls, sprayed with automotive paint, refer to the refined quality of Japanese lacquerware. The refinement which Ann van Hoey achieves in her work, however, does not overshadow the dynamic quality. The lines of the bowls are supple and the rounded bottoms allow the bowls to tip playfully. This combination of perfection and whimsy is very appealing.
The color, texture and atmosphere of Rachel Wood’s forms are a metaphor for her interpretation of the landscape and the world around her. The impulsive human desire for touch and the inherent emotional need to be touched are at the heart of the technical, creative, and emotional basis of her work. Rachel’s personal intuitive touch is a guiding principle in all of her work: an indentation in the soft clay, a drip of glaze, a scratch, a fingerprint or handprint in the glaze. The result is a continuation of nature with room for the viewer’s own interpretation.
The combined exhibition at Galerie Terra Delft shows that the work is enhanced by the contrasts between the techniques used. The works have a click, a connection, through which our perception of contradictions is intensified. But this is also due to the high quality of work shown here!