Ceramics at the Olympics

Margareth Matsuyama,
fine lines


In concomitanza con le Olimpiadi la citta di Vancouver dedica spazio all'artigianato contemporaneo. Art of Craft ( l'Arte dell'Artgiananto) presenta 173 opere create da artisti canadesi e coreani che lavorano i materiali più diversi dalla ceramica, al metallo, al legno, ai tessuti. "La maggior parte dell'artigianato è arte, ma la parola artgianato è stata sempre usata per sottolineare un'abilità tecnica. Questo sta cambiando." spiega la designer Kristi Wakelin, e questo concetto il perno della mostra.
Troviamo ceramisti più giovani alle prese con la parte più concettuale della ceramica come
Margaret Matsuyama, seconda generazione giapponese creasciuta a Vancouver, che per i suoi lavori si ispira ai ricordi d'infanzia e al concetto di identità. Le figurine di bambini sono create in serie a colaggio e poi alterate singolarmente per conferirgli unicità.
Altra tipologia molto rappresentata è quella dei ceramisti virtuosi della cottura e delle forme ispirate dalla natura come, Jinny Whitehead, in questo video, realizzato per l'occasione, ci spiega il suo rapporto con la ceramica:

Art of Craft | Jinny Whitehead from Resolve Design on Vimeo.



Art of Craft, a rich, binational survey of contemporary craft presented with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. Exhibit designers Kirsti Wakelin and Darren Carcary of Vancouver-based Resolve Design opted for a simple, spare concept that belies both the complexity of the 173 objects on view and the themes each gallery incorporates in layer, upon layer, upon layer. The range of materials is staggering, too, covering ceramics, textiles, glass, wood, and metal, among others. If there is a central thesis to Art of Craft “Most craft is fine art but the word ‘craft’ has typically referred to the technical ability of doing or making. That’s changing.” says Wakelin.
The nine ceramic figures of the work fine lines by Margaret Matsuyama (pictured left) are a comment on what she sees as a Canadian tendency to broadly categorize “diversity” while overlooking individual differences. “Diversity in multicultural Canada is often broadly defined by categories that overlook complex, subtle differences of identity.”

Carcary and Wakelin organized the objects by medium and added a multimedia section that focuses on an area they find fascinating: process. They shot and produced a series of two-minute films of Vancouver-based ceramist Jinny Whitehead to capture studio life and the intimacies of the creative process. “By seeing what’s involved in the making of an object, you develop a greater appreciation for the skill involved,” says Carcary. “Each artisan creates a tangible object on film, but their approaches are so totally different.” For some, the materials determine the final outcome; for others, they’re just a means to an end.art-of-craft-7art-of-craft-31

http://www.museumofvancouver.ca


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