Avital Sheffer

Terra Anima

18 July – 12 August 2009
Opening Tuesday 21 July 6-8pm
Floor Talk Sunday 19 July 12.30pm

Umbrella event of the 2009 Australian Ceramics Association Triennale

artists/avital-sheffer

Avital Sheffer

Sfat Em I
62×53×24cm multiple-fired earthenware clay with fired prints
SOLD

about the artist

My work is informed by an investigation of my Middle Eastern and Jewish heritage and an ongoing engagement with the landscape, architecture, languages and wisdom of that part of the world, and that way of being in the world. The world of antiquity, in its diversities and dichotomies, is a passion and an infinite source of inspiration. Ancient ceramics, glass, metal ware and calligraphy employ universal aesthetic principals yet reveal intimate aspects of human idiosyncrasies and needs that are relevant to the present. I am interested in the frayed edges of religions and mythologies, where dialogue and cross-fertilization with other cultures takes place. Personal experiences of conflict, migration, dislocation and renewal intersect with the dilemmas between traditions and modernity.

I am challenged and fascinated by the materiality and discipline of clay, and the mysterious unpredictability of its nature. The act of making is a constant negotiation between creating a new entity and uncovering that which already exists, hidden within the folds of the material, governed by elemental principles. Through these slow processes, I Endeavour to reveal forms and surfaces that evoke a sense of history, while carrying narratives that transcend the temporal.

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