Jason Jacques Gallery is pleased to present a new exhibition of ceramic works by British potter Gareth Mason.
In addition to featuring a selection of unique vessels from the Jason Jacques Gallery collection, the show will revolve around six new works made during his residency in Jingdezhen, China - the “world capital of porcelain”. Gareth Mason spent three months at the Jingdezhen International Studio, from October to December 2016. Made of porcelain and decorated with red iron clay, glass, oxides, and various layers of glaze, these large-scale pieces reflect the influence of Chinese pottery on the England-based artist, both visually and technically. The result is a deconstructed explosion of shapes and textures that challenge art pottery conventions.
Gareth Mason (b. 1965) is based in Alton, England. His work is widely exhibited and collected in the United Kingdom and internationally, and held in major museum collections worldwide, such as the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, CA, and the Ariana Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. Gareth Mason is a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association and a Brother of the Art Workers Guild, London. He is the recipient of the Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts Award (2011) and received the Grand Prix at the Projections d’Argile Festival in Montpellier.
Artist Statement: "In Jingdezhen, porcelain bit me back: this famous clay’s unruly behavior slapped me with my own dogma. I loved what it put me through. (I hated it too.) What did I expect? I have founded my practice on removing safety nets and taking risks so I am fairly inured to shock; but the surprises I encountered upon attempting to bend this material to my will (let alone the beating it gave me when I opened the kiln) were deeper than I am used to. We never know where our learning is going to be and in Jingdezhen I was forced to adapt, fast. “I know my work is doing its job when it makes me uncomfortable”, I am wont to say. This two-month residency truly made me practice what I preach. But far from tempering my bent toward aesthetic recklessness, the experience has sharpened my appetite for it. My ceramic behavior is set to become, if anything, unrulier as a consequence, as I hope the results attest."
The exhibition will open on February 24th, with an opening reception at the Jason Jacques Gallery from 6PM to 9PM, and will close on March 4th.
For more information, contact the gallery at info@jasonjacques.com.
