Discover Clayworx: Emerging! Opening on August 15, this exhibit showcases a unique collection made by up-and-coming ceramic artists. Read on for a sneak peek at the artworks and to meet Veronica and Cesia, two of the artists whose work will appear.
Interim Executive Director Jen Pastorius is excited for this first exhibition under the name Clayworx. Last year, the London Potters Guild and London Clay Art Centre consolidated under a new identity with a mission of making clay accessible to all. Clayworx: Emerging will showcase a diverse group of artists and a diverse range of what clay can do. See the exhibition, enjoy live music, and meet the artists at the opening reception on Thursday, August 15 from 7-9pm.
Veronica Sarata (@sarata_ceramics)
Veronica Sarata is an emerging ceramic artist who has worked at Clayworx for several summers. Her work ranges from evocatively detailed sculptures to dishes decorated in bold lines. The first piece she exhibits this Thursday is an intricate wall hanging of a rabbit, one of five that Veronica created for a school installation.
“Rabbits are a big thing in my work,” she says. “What’s really important to me is the meaning behind them and the symbolism. I use them a lot to represent feelings of fear or wanting to run away but almost not being able to.”
Her rabbit deserves to be looked at in detail, from its floppy ears to the tufts of fur on its body. “When I first started making rabbits, I did indeed make each individual hair. But, at this point in my life, my hands hate me,” Veronica says. “So I made a mould, a 2x3 inch square of fur. In between, I still have to put the individual hairs, but it’s a lot less.”
Veronica currently attends Sheridan and is working toward an Honours Bachelor of Craft & Design with a Specialty in Ceramics. Like many creatives, she’s had a complicated experience with the intersection of art and education. Clayworx: Emerging will display a visceral sculpture titled “See, All That You Had To Do Was Speak,” depicting two bony hands forcing open a stork’s beak. It captures a period in Veronica’s studies when she felt pressure to create art that didn’t feel right.
“I love my teachers but at that point when I was making this, I was like, ‘can you stop trying to make me do things that I don’t think I can do right now?’ I think at that time I was very much feeling like I had to produce things that I didn’t have the answers for,” she says. At Clayworx, Veronica has found a supportive community that creates space for those feelings.
Clayworx: Emerging is the first exhibit she has been involved in outside of school. “There’s something amazing about having the opportunity to show myself outside of my education, especially because of the community that is here,” Veronica says. “I want to be able to show them my work because I feel like they really influenced me and the way I create.” The exhibition will also display a teapot and two cups created by Veronica. You can find more of her work on Instagram at @sarata_ceramics.
Cesia Ignacio (@ignacio.studios)
“I’ve been doing ceramics for ten years, but I would consider myself still emerging,” Cesia Ignacio says. Their artistic journey took them into the heart of burnout and back out the other side, with Clayworx’s community playing an instrumental role.
For the exhibition, Cesia has created a dog sculpture sure to capture hearts. “There’s no deep meaning or anything behind it,” they say. “I like making work that’s quite humorous and lighthearted. I think it’s something I avoided when I was in school. Everything was so serious.”
Like Veronica, Cesia struggled with the constraints that education can place on creation. After graduating, Cesia was burned out—a situation that the pandemic didn't help. “While I was in school, I was making really big pots and really large-scale sculptures. Because studios were closed, I couldn’t make that,” Cesia said. “I think that’s where my first tiny things started to emerge.”
Cesia began working with polymer clay and creating things with their sisters. “They always make me laugh and it’s just fun to make them laugh… All of our small little things have been inspired by having a good time together and sharing that with other people.” Cesia’s sculpture for this show isn’t too tiny, but it captures the same joy as their miniatures.
This shift towards creating art from a place of joy was important for Cesia. More than anything, community played a critical role in helping them fall back in love with ceramics. They had worked at Clayworx before, but a turning point was being invited to TA a class. Soon, Cesia was teaching classes and re-discovering a supportive community that helped them overcome burnout.
“It’s been a long relationship between me and Clayworx. They’ve been very supportive,” Cesia says. “That really helped me figure out that this ceramics career is still what I want to do.” Cesia is currently the Communications & Marketing Coordinator for Clayworx and you can find their work and their sisters’ at @ignacio.studios.
Gallery Reception This Thursday!
See the works of Veronica, Cesia, and many others at the opening reception of Clayworx: Emerging on Thursday, August 15 from 7-9pm! Find more details on Clayworx’s Facebook page.
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