Clementina Van Der Walt

"In the 21st century, we are aggressively being catapulted into this cyber age of information overload. Making contemplative and utilitarian objects by hand, may appear anachronistic and at odds with the spirit of the times. However, the ceramic discipline, with cultural and historical links to rituals of everyday life, encompasses society, religion and philosophy. Like music and poetry, it expresses a world of complexity and awe, with the capacity to touch the soul. The archetypal significance of the home, as a point where our spiritual and earthy lives interconnect is where I have attempted to explore these ideas.

My exploration has spread over many diverse influences which are apparent in the eclectic and perhaps seemingly disparate works on show. Patterns and colours of the African urban and natural landscape including botanical images, meet Art Deco and Russian Suprematist imagery. In turn figurative subject matter forms a narrative across plates and vases. The patterns and colours of these resonate in both single and composite wall panels which combine poetic text, graphic marks of African writing and portrait faces.

Using a variety of techniques such as throwing, hand-building and slip-casting I work with earthenware clays combined with underglazes, slips and glazes." Clementina van der Walt