It happens quite often, that I am drawn to a piece of art, one that I want to share here, but that I don’t because the artist’s statement gets in the way. What was a very pure and instinctive response becomes blurred with concepts too heady for me to digest, let alone write about. It was refreshing today to read ceramicist, Elisabeth Rollmann speaking about her work in a way that made it feel both original and accessible. “My work is about pattern, colour and surface quality in ceramic glazes. It is unapologetic aesthetic. There is no deeper meaning or concept.” Which leads me to ask, must there always be a deeper meaning or concept? Does the pressure to create a meaningful narrative around the work sometimes alienate people from it? Maybe I’m just not that clever. Or maybe there are too many artists out there who feel that they have to sound clever to be in the club. At the Shary Boyle exhibition currently on at The Gardiner Museum it struck me as interesting that the artist omitted any accompanying text alongside her surreal and outlandish sculptures. Each one is loaded with meaning, but it’s up to us to decide what that meaning is.
