Investigating the resurgence of the handmade and the ethics of slowness in an age of mass production, the ceramics designed by Melbourne-based artist Zhu Ohmu explores entanglements of human and non-human ecologies.
Her brilliant, coiled pieces are currently on display at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) for its Showcase #23, from August 14 to November 6, 2019.
Originally from New Zealand, Zhu Ohmu graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in 2012 and now works in Melbourne.
The initial concept for her pieces was a response to the rise in popularity of 3D printed ceramics. Corresponding to the imitation of systems of nature, the artist wanted to explore how forms would emerge if she used her hands to mimic the way a 3D printer operates through extrusion.
Ohmu’s works are built through stacking, folding, pressing and pulling. Forms emerge intuitively and seem to ebb and flow, often pushed to their structural limits. Unlike a printer, the artist can detect even the slightest change in the properties of the clay body under different environmental conditions.
Pieces are available for purchase, as with all SAM showcase items.
