MELBOURNE.- Heide Museum of Modern Art is presenting the work of twelve leading international and Australian artists in a new exhibition titled An Idea Needing to Be Made: Contemporary Ceramics. The exhibition explores the idea of the vessel form and its continued use and reinvention by contemporary artists working in clay. Presented from 27 July to 20 October 2019, the project brings together a number of key influencers in contemporary ceramics from across Europe, America, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

An Idea Needing to Be Made: Contemporary Ceramics is foregrounded historically by the work of Australia’s most celebrated potter Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, whose interest in and interrogation of the vessel and the still life tradition ushered in a new way of thinking about function, display and purpose. In the exhibition each artist uses the format of Hanssen Piggott’s internationally renowned still-life groups of porcelain vessels to reimagine the vessel form and explore original techniques.

The exhibition positions the artists to investigate one or more of the enquiries and ideas posed by Hanssen Pigott; including how a vessel can function as something to be used but also be about use; how an artwork can be understood as a collection or suite of objects; and why is the past an eternal present in ceramic practice?

Heide Museum of Modern Art Artistic Director Lesley Harding says, “The exhibition is not intended to be a survey of any kind, but rather to show a series of touchstones that represent a range of contemporary approaches to the age-old form of the vessel. The invited artists—a number of whom have made new work to display—contribute to the lineage and future for this most ubiquitous of objects, and share ideas across cultures.”

Co-curator Glenn Barkley adds, “An Idea Needing to be Made offers an opportunity to see a substantial group of works by some of the key influencers in contemporary ceramics. All interrogate the timeless potential of the medium and the vitality of the vessel form. Acknowledging the increased interest in ceramics across the art world, this exhibition provides a chance to see some of the most inventive practitioners at work today from across the globe alongside their Australian peers, creating an international dialogue for this once marginalised medium.”

The exhibition features the work of twelve artists from across Australia and overseas, including:

Alison Britton (UK) • Kathy Butterly (US) • Kirsten Coehlo (AUS) • Pippin Drysdale (AUS) • Ernebella Arts (AUS) • Simone Fraser (AUS) • Gwyn Hanssen Pigott (AUS) • King Houndekpinkou (FRA) • Nicolette Johnson (AUS) • Kate Malone (UK) • Kang Hyo Lee (KOR) • Laurie Steer (NZ)

The exhibition has been designed by renowned Australian architecture firm John Wardle Architects and is accompanied by a catalogue designed by Garry Emery with Jane Mooney and a diverse public program including: