17 February - 7 March 2005
about the exhibition
Jenny Orchard continues to create a range of ceramics which are sculpturally interesting in both form and surface. Her use of heat and earth, along with lead, silica, copper, cobalt, and an abundant array of minerals provide active ingredients which result in a dramatic range of varied finishes. Jenny has a personal interest in the future of our universe – in particular with the current state of the environment. Her concerns have led her to coin the term “Zookinni cosmology” where the five domains of earthly existence are bacteria, protista, fungi, plants and animals interacting as a whole. The “transitional creatures” within this exhibition form part of this cosmology and, as Jenny explains, “they are the only known representations of the inconceivably rare animals that will make the leap between species upon which our very existence depends”. Jenny emphasises the playful aspects of her work in order to rekindle a sense of childhood wonder for our planet, as a way forward from our current abuse of it. “First and foremost I want to express a creative lifeforce which exists in every living thing, plant, animal and in the earth itself, and which I feel is being ignored and abused by the corporate possession of the planet.”
Born in Turkey, Jenny grew up in Zimbabwe and emigrated to Australia in 1976. She studied at the College of Fine Arts (COFA) in Sydney, receiving her BA in 1980. Jenny has exhibited widely in Australia and has participated in shows in Japan, Germany, Italy and the USA. Her work has been extensively acquired and is represented, amongst others, in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Power House Museum, Sydney; Queensland Art Gallery; Art Gallery of South Australia and National Gallery of Victoria and in the private collection of Sir Elton John. This is her fourth solo show with Beaver Galleries.
