29 February – 16 March 2024
about the exhibition
The sensory recollections that inspire Ulrica Trulsson’s elegant, pared back ceramic forms are revealed in an interplay of surface textures and subtle tones of colour. Transient musings of snow underfoot and cold air against skin are expressed in unique effects upon the surface of her ceramics. Her memories and emotions are instilled within her forms and reflect experiences of place redolent of the freezing cold winter landscapes of her Swedish childhood. It is the intriguing nature of these textures and tones, and their reference to the landscape, which imbues her works with a sense of wonder and reminiscence. As Ulrica writes of this exhibition, “images imprinted in my mind reverberate like echoes through time, many are set at night time with the white landscape against the backdrop of the night sky. There is a stillness and an other-worldly quality to these recollections that was in my thoughts during the making of these works.” A collaboration occurs between the clay body and the artist’s hand as Urica’s hand thrown forms take shape, quietly alternating between closed and open forms. The making process of these pieces involves wheel throwing various silhouettes, making numerous subtle adjustments to both surface and form until she is satisfied. Layers of slip are carefully applied resulting in mesmerising and subtle gradations and surface textures that leave intriguing hints of the clay body beneath. As Kylie Johnson and Tiffany Johnson comment in their recently published book on contemporary ceramics, ‘Earth and Fire’, “her work is captivatingly subtle, sitting somewhere between make-believe and functional, precious and utilitarian.”
Ulrica Trulsson grew up in Östersund, Sweden and moved to Australia in 2008 after a period of travel. She began her studies in ceramics at Holmesglen in Melbourne where she completed her Diploma of Ceramics. She moved to Adelaide in 2012 to undertake the JamFactory’s Associate Training Program, continuing her studies under renowned ceramicists including Prue Venables and Kirsten Coelho. In 2014, Ulrica was awarded a highly commended in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize and was the recipient of the JamFactory’s South Australian Emerging Designer award in 2013. Her work is represented in state and regional collections including the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Hamilton Gallery, Victoria.
