TERRAIN | LUCAS FERREIRA and ALISON GAUTREY

A celebration of porcelain used in different ways.

Lucas Ferreira ‘s works are made from small hand-crafted fragments of porcelain, accumulated to form sequences, rhythms, evoking geological formations.

Almost paper-like, Alison Gautrey’s spun porcelain vessels are luminously translucent and weightless, capturing the feeling of movement within the simplicity of form.

In Lucas Ferreira ‘s works, small flat rectangles are joined together forming different compositions. Each fragment, the same size and shape, one next to the other, almost sewn together, accumulated to form sequences, rhythms, which are then altered by the inclusion of pieces in a different colour. White, black, blues or different shades of grey woven together to become a sumptuous fabric.

Repetition, sequence, order and interruption convey the method by which the fragments are meticulously arranged creating geometric and abstract shapes. Some of the works appear at the same time in a series, where the alteration of the black pieces marks different spaces and rhythm in the compositions. The work is subtle, intriguing. Only a closer look will offer the viewer a rendition of what it is about. “My work is inspired by geological formations. I enjoy crafting minimalist textured studies inspired by how rocky surfaces are reshaped over time.”

Lucas will present a series of works in different tones of grey, from light, charcoal to almost black, alongside a large installation in white to black, large and small circular pieces, which will echo Alison Gautrey’s vessels.

Lucas was shortlisted as one of the few UK ceramic artists for the Korean Ceramic Biennale. Lucas won the Ceramic Review Newcomer to Ceramic Art London 2019.

Alison Gautrey’s spun porcelain vessels in a monochrome palette are almost weightless. In her sculptural works, Alison successfully combines certain randomness in the process with an intuitive vision given by her design background, paired with her knowledge of material.

Using a range of very limited colours - black, white, sometimes a hint of blue - and the same shape, Alison focuses on the control of pigment and movement given by it. In some, there are perfectly defined areas where the black pigment appears, a diagonal black surface contrasting with a luminous white surface, the black slightly tilting due to the weight of the pigment. In others, the pigments create an array of painterly shades of grey, conveying landscapes around the edges of the vessels.

Sometimes there is a distinct contrast between the exterior and interior surfaces where technique and tonal variation create unique patterns. The interior is blended and chaotic whilst the exterior remains calm with controlled bands of defined pigment.

After years of experimenting, Alison has found a way of combining porcelain with bone china. The extremely subtle difference in the shrinkage of materials allows for a ‘mark”, a curving, an extraneous volume in her pieces, exploiting the inevitable distortions that occur. She is a master at achieving thinness yet at the same time volume, a perfect tension.

Repetition of the same simple form allows Alison to present a range of differences and contrasts, masterly combining randomness, chance and control with the use of pigment in a delicate surface.