Richard Stratton: Living History
Richard Stratton: Living History installation view, 2017. Courtesy of The Dowse Art Museum. Photo by John Lake.
In Living History, Wellington artist Richard Stratton presented a series of new work that continued his interest in bringing together ceramic decoration and production techniques, art histories and social narratives.
This exhibition explored how Stratton’s well known, intricate teapots and figurative representations have evolved into enigmatic, sculptural forms. Melding together small slabs of clay until they feel balanced and ‘right’, Stratton’s gradual, stream of conscious manner of making means each new piece can take over a month to complete. His final compositions draw from his immediate environment: abstracted representations of his daily life as both an artist and a stay-at-home father.
Blending his insights on everyday experience with European ceramic histories and Modernist art movements, Stratton asks us to consider links between past and present.
The Dowse Art Museum | 25 Mar – 02 Jul 2017