Ceramics are unfortunately often associated with cute pots and country cottages. But what about bloodied heads? Why don’t we see more bloodied head ceramics? Well, now we can. Cass Sculpture Foundation have opened a wood-burning outdoor kiln, and they’ve invited ten contemporary artists to try it out.
The results form the goods for Rough Music, a group exhibition at the Foundation that has been curated by Alex Hoda and Robert Rush. The curators and all of the artists involved submitted proposals to the Kiln Project and the final exhibition offers multiple viewpoints on exactly what ceramics is in the present day, and how it is used within contemporary art.
Bedwyr Williams has created one of the most interesting — and amusing — results, forming a pickle jar that has been cast from his own head. It also looks rather gruesome, his expression not too dissimilar to that of a Wolf Hall beheading prop, the top of his head sliced through to make way for a lid. Once filled with pickles, you image what the results might be.
Paulina Michnowska’s work strikes a similar balance between humour and grimness, creating her own decapitated head, complete with ceramic blood-puddle. The piece is in keeping with her typical crass but amusing style, often creating small ceramic figures with enormous boobs, open legs and a naive construction. Her piece in this exhibition is characteristically high-shine, but everyday, the severed head still wearing a pair of glasses and a resigned smile.
Also showing are 2013 Turner Prize winner, Laure Prouvost, Aaron Angell, Mark Essen, Alex Hoda, Giles Round, Robert Rush, Jackson Sprague and Jesse Wine.
Rough Music is showing at Cass Sculture Foundation until 8 November.
