11 - 26 August 2023
about the exhibition
Prue Venables has established a national and international reputation as one of Australia’s leading contemporary ceramic artists. Motivated by a particular interest in functional objects and a search for simplicity, quietness and an essential stillness, Prue makes objects that are pared back, serene and deceptively simple. Her making process is underpinned by the shifting and transformative actions that are fed by and absorb Prue’s curiosity and investigation, bearing new forms. In a recent interview for Art Collector magazine, Prue said, “I make very risky things yet there is a quietness to them. The porcelain that I use really wants to collapse, doesn’t want to be that shape. Timing is crucial. I have to know when the clay will work for me”. Through her work, Prue explores a multitude of references, ranging from musical harmonies and spaces through to functional objects, 19th Century industrial English pottery and contemporary metal and plastic objects being of particular interest. In May 2023, Prue was one of only thirty finalists selected worldwide for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Of her shortlisted piece, the judges commented, “The artist places subtle, residual questions of origin on her pedestal. By gradually shifting perceptions as the original form vanishes, the vessel becomes a testament to the power of process to absorb exploration, enquiry and risk, culminating in something unflinchingly new”.
Prue Venables was born in England but grew up in Australia before returning to England in 1977 to study ceramics at the renowned Harrow School of Art. After teaching and practicing ceramics in the UK for 12 years, she returned to Australia in 1989 and has continued to exhibit widely in Australia, Europe, Asia and the USA. Prue has received numerous significant national and international awards and, in 2018, was selected as the Australian Design Centre’s 9th Living Treasure. In 2015, she won the Clunes Ceramic Award and, in 2018, received a Judges Commendation for her work in “STILL: Australian Still Life Award” at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK. Prue’s work is held in many collections including the National Gallery of Australia, most Australian state galleries, Fuping Museum (China), Auckland Museum and Gallery and Fletcher Challenge Collection (New Zealand).
