This exhibition was fueled by the artists’ mutual respect for each other’s work. Their first meeting, long ago in Italy where Davies lives, was infused with the atmosphere of Tuscany, the Italian landscape which has always inspired artists.
The work of Davies, who is originally British, was seen as a direct reflection of the Tuscan landscape by Silvertant, who is Dutch. The pot forms with rough surfaces in warm earthen tones and meandering small rivulets, with their azure blue glaze on the interior, resembled a three-dimensional painting. These pot have a generous size and stand on their own as robust statues. But there are also smaller formats which, despite their more modest scale, still present just as strongly.
Davies’ work also reminded Silvertant of earlier travels through Africa, where she found her ceramic signature: a technique where the cracked structure is applied to the surface. This similarity in the signature in texture becomes clear in the exhibition ‘Mutual Textures’. Silvertant’s angular, architectural forms offer a wonderful contrast to Davies’ round pot forms. As Terra’s regular audience knows, she incorporates glass elements which echo the character of the ceramic object. The skin of her work often features botanical patterns, as though nature itself is embracing or taking possession of the sculptures.
Ceramics is often all about technique; the process of construction and firing is always fraught with risk and the result is never guaranteed. In ‘Mutual Textures’ it is obvious that the technical mastery is so high that it becomes a signature of the maker. This exhibition, which easily could have been titled ‘Mature Textures’, makes this clear.
From November 25 through January 7, 2024, Terra Delft Gallery will present this duo exhibition of ceramics by Terry Davies and Susanne Silvertant. Susanne is a regular exhibitor at the gallery, while Terry is making his debut in Delft.
