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Ken Eastman
Solo Exhibition of Ceramics
29 April to 11 June 2005
Ken Eastman shows a new series of large, abstract vessels. His concern with the rhythm and movement of form has led to his recent
interest in things folding or on the brink of collapse. His works have been likened to the dynamic architectural forms of Frank Gehry
and Daniel Libeskind. But the new works are also inspired by his studies of the portrayal of draped cloth in medieval church sculpture
and he describes them as now appearing ‘... less built and less assembled than felt’ and understood as ‘resonances or echoes, rather
than references.’
Made from thin, wet slabs of clay, the construction of the vessels involves considerable physical struggle and risk. There are
no obvious structural anchors to a form - no props or corner braces. Instead the wall sections appear to pull and to push,
their billowing, curvaceous shapes both formed by and under threat from invisible forces. The tensile, near-elastic walls of
these pieces seem more like fabric or skin than stable fired ceramic.
Dark, dramatic colours rich blues and browns and black are used to bring a visual weight and balance to the forms.
Colour is built up slowly, fired and then re-fired after each subsequent application until the painted surface attains
depth. Form and colour converge in harmonious unity. Eastman‘s visual language is confident and succinct. The works
are poetic and powerful.
Biographical notes
Born 1960, Ken Eastman studied at Edinburgh College of Art (1979 83) and at the Royal College of Art, London (1984 87).
He has exhibited internationally and won numerous prestigious awards in the field of the ceramic arts including the
‘Premio Faenza’, Italy (1995), an ‘Arts Foundation Fellowship’, UK (1998) and a gold medal at the World Ceramic Exposition, Korea (2001).
Some public collections that hold examples of his work are: The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan; Shepparton Art Gallery, Victoria,
Australia; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA; Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Canada; Museum Boijmans van Beunigen, Rotterdam;
Ulster Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
For more information, transparencies, or to arrange an interview with the artist please contact
Juliana Barrett
Tel: 020 7336 6396
Fax: 020 7336 6391
email: press@bmgallery.co.uk
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