Clay Craft Concept
Contemporary ceramics ancient histories
Malta Society of Arts, 22 August - 26 September 2024
What is the difference between a sculpture and a beautifully crafted but functional object, such as a mug or a vase? CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT investigates different ways of creating with clay, from prehistory to contemporary practice, and creates a dialogue between sculptural and functional clay objects by bringing together a large and eclectic group of artists.
The Malta Society of Arts has a long been a stronghold for supporting crafts and has a history of clay education. CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT flows from this legacy while also bringing the Society’s activity into dialogue with contemporary currents of thought.
Ioulia Chante, Why Me (2023) stoneware and oxide wash
At its most basic, CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT asks the question: ‘What is the difference between a sculpture and a beautifully crafted but functional object, such as a mug or a vase?’ In other words, this exhibition aims to conceptualise the blurred line between craft practice and fine-art thinking.
Some of the best known contemporary artists, like Grayson Perry and Edmund de Waal, don’t hesitate to describe themselves as potters and craftspeople. The careful consideration of the aesthetic value of functional objects has a precedent that weaves through history, all the way back to the very beginning. Think of the beautifully decorated instruments for measuring the movements of the stars that emerged from prehistoric dig sites all over Malta and Europe, the richly decorated Greek vases picked off the Mediterranean seafloor, and the carefully patterned textiles from Native American weavers (now all hanging in European museums).
The line between art and crafts was self-consciously erased in the mid-20th century by the artists of the Bauhaus and, later on, Black Mountain College. People like Anni Albers (1899–1994) and Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) expanded the possibilities of craft by pushing the materials they were working with into new physical and conceptual territories. They reflected on their work in ways that instigated the same questions that were commonplace amongst painters, sculptors, and other more traditional artists.
Post-Bauhaus, utility ceased to be a hindrance to artistic truth. This has reverberated into the 21st century and has also touched, albeit tangentially, the Maltese scene.
Aside from supporting fine artists, the Malta Society of Arts has long been a stronghold for supporting the crafts. It is Malta’s oldest cultural institution, and in the past, the
Society would advocate for and endorse craftspeople or companies. Farsons Brewery, for example, was awarded the Gold Medal Award in 1929 for their skills in brewing beer. Scicluna & Co. were awarded the same medal in 1903 for building handmade pianos in Malta, and Pirotta & Sons won the Medal in 1965 for their artistic craftsmanship in silver. Ceramicists like Gabriel Caruana (1929–2018) and Paul Haber (b.1940) were also awarded the Medal.
Within the world of ceramics, there were various attempts, spearheaded by artists, to investigate and do away with the line between applied and fine art. Julie Apap (1948–2011), for example, organised “Functional by Design” in 2010. In this collective exhibition, featuring utilitarian ceramic objects, the intent was precisely the same as that of CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT. Gabriel Caruana, a titan within the Maltese scene, is also written about as having developed his signature language of squiggles, lines, and encrusted surfaces from a deep love of the craft of ceramics. Incidentally, Caruana would also repurpose functional objects to the service of artistic ends, as with “Untitled,” (1990) being shown in this exhibition.
CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT looks to this rich heritage, both locally and internationally, to instigate refreshed questions around craft ceramics and sculptural ceramics. Over the past couple of years, there has been a new wave of craft ceramicists emerging into the Maltese cultural world. By creating a dialogue between local and international artists, sculptural and functional objects, and spanning from prehistory to contemporary practice, this exhibition investigates new and emergent ways of making with clay, playfully transgressing borders and plunging into the foundations of how we think about art and life.
Participating artists Victor Agius, Julie Apap, Shirley Agius Xuereb, Francesca Balzan, Trevor Borg, Skuja Braden, Tony Briffa, Gabriel Caruana, Ioulia Chante, Nico Conti, Andrew Diacono, Victor Diacono, Burghild Eichheim, Martina Farrugia, Sina Farrugia, Alberto Favaro, Nina Gerada, Caz Hildebrand, Leah Kaplan, Helen Martin Lowinger, Rosa Madonna, Nadya Anne Mangion, Clare McCracken, Eleanor Meredith, Salvina Muscat, Kira Ni, Paul Scerri, Anna Snowdon, Hae Won Sohn x Stipan Tadić, THISS, THISS x Rebecca Bonaci, THISS x VERNACULAR, Tiziana Schembri, Jeremy Tua, Ally Vella, Maryia Virshych
Curation Gabriel Zammit; Catalogue essays Vince Briffa, Clive Zammit; Exhibition design Tom van Malderen; Production Malta Society of Arts; Production assistant Luke Dimech; Graphic design Stelios Ypsilantis; Catalogue photography Benjamin Zammit, Thomas Scerri, Clare McCracken, Martina Farrugia, Kira Ni, Maryia Virshych. Exhibition views by Mark Scicluna. Lenders MUŻA – The National Community Art Museum, Heritage Malta, National Museum of Archaeology, Heritage Malta, Valletta Contemporary Shop, Marie Gallery 5, Mary Rose Caruana and the Gabriel Caruana Foundation, Catherine and Patrick Calleja, those who wish to remain anonymous; Special thanks Antonella Axisa, Adrian Mamo, Serena Alessi, Antonia Critien, Katya Micallef, Sharon Sultana, Pierre Bonello, Lara Bugeja Strickland, Anna Calleja, Dennis Vella, Jeanine Rizzo, Michael Lowell, Michaele Zammit, Raffaella Zammit, Maria Eileen Fsadni, Norbert Francis Attard, Franceen Galea, Galea Hardware Store Siġġiewi, Maria Galea, Stelios Ypsilantis, Malta Society of Arts Staff
CLAY / CRAFT / CONCEPT is a Malta Society of Arts Initiative
Supported by The Italian Cultural Institute, Il-Lokal, CBK Rotterdam