Ceramicist: Beatrice Waller
For Beatrice, pottery is more than turning clay and firing vessels. It’s a spiritual journey.
Beatrice Waller is a Sydney based artist and ceramicist, producing conceptual works and installations around the themes of faith, spirituality and refinement.
ARETE
Beatrice Waller, 2018.
76 glazed stoneware cylinders, plywood, ink, coffee, steel
630 x 430 x 1200 mm
”Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
- Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho
Arete is an exploration of the connection between excellence in making and morality, reflecting the artist’s experience of improvement in both these areas as a maker and a Christian in the world. It is named after the Greek word 'arete' as is means both 'excellence' and 'virtue' that leads to happiness, connecting the two main aspects of the piece. Virtuosity in craftsmanship and the journey toward the perfect Platonic cylinder draws strong parallels to sanctification in the Christain life, both being processes of constant failure, improvement and growth.
Consisting of 76 ceramic cylinders in neat, chronological rows, this process of refinement is distinct. An absent place is left for the 77th vessel which is a symbol of unattainable perfection. The number 77 is significant as seven is the biblical number of completeness. All of the cylinders fall short of this perfection having started as a 77-gram balls of clay and through the throwing and firing process losing most of this weight.
The colour choice is another reference to the unattainable with white used as a symbol of purity. The vessels again fail to achieve this being off-white, the inside being a tone darker symbolising human's inner-nature where imperfections cannot be hidden. The use of iron oxide in the glaze as a colourant is symbolic of forgiveness which is achieved by Jesus' death, the iron being a reference to blood.
DEATH'S DUEL
2018, Mixed Media
Death’s Duel is an exploration of spiritual transformation and the human desire to seek higher spiritual knowledge and eternal life. Drawing from both the physical and philosophical components of alchemy, it analyses this desire that seems to be inbuilt into humankind. It attempts to convey a sense of transformation and refinement as seen in the alchemical process and in the Christian life as human mind, heart and soul are transformed to be godlier. It is named after John Donne’s sermon Death’s Duel, which uses the practise of alchemy as a metaphor of Jesus’ role in transforming humanity into spiritual gold.
The work consists of three shelves, each with 80 ceramic cups that symbolise a person’s spiritual journey and reference the Biblical metaphor of cups as a vessel containing a person’s eternal fate. As the vessels get higher on the shelves, they become progressively more refined, depicting improvement and transformation in goodness. They also appear to be closer to the heavens the higher they are. This therefore makes them harder to reach, suggesting that few reach this level of refinement.
A sense of repeated experiment and failure is important to the work, exploring the human desire to find a way to live forever. Three books depict the maker’s log of the cups as they were made and the repeated attempts that were made to achieve eternal life. The fate of the drinker as the outcome of each experiment is listed, almost always being of facing wrath. The remaining cups contain grace, given from God as the only way to achieve eternal life.
FOLLOW & FIND:
Website: https://beatricewaller98.wixsite.com/bwart
Instagram: @beatricethepotter
Location: Glebe SYDNEY 2037
SUPPORT BEATRICE’S WORK:
Works can be purchased at local Sydney art markets and fairs. Subscribe to Beatrice’s socials to stay up to date with upcoming markets and exhibitions.
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