Porcelain

Porcelain, an exhibition of 15 contemporary masters of the wily, translucent medium, opens at MudFire Gallery on August 7, 2010.

Yet, the specific type of clay is just the beginning. When this show is seen in person, it is unmistakable that it is wildly, exuberantly, yet quite cogently about things of a porcelain nature, many different things: large and small, abstract and representational, glazed, unglazed, functional and dysfunctional.

Featuring some of the top studio potters working in porcelain today, the exhibit is a sheer visual force, with its saturated colors and varied surfaces, and a delight to those whose weakness is for inventive form. Spanning the country, from Seattle to Buffalo to North Carolina and Atlanta, the show reflects contemporary styles and innovations that are a far cry from the famously macabre incidents that lead to the discovery of true porcelain in Europe in 1710.

Putting all its fragile eggs in one basket, the Porcelain exhibit argues for ceramics as a more than worthy subject. It reminds us that the art form incorporates quite a bit of painting and sculpture, thank you, and has one of the richest histories of any medium on the planet. This timely, satisfying show proves once more, that while ceramics is just another art medium, there is no art medium quite like ceramics. And no ceramics quite like porcelain.

Chris Campbell , Jim Connell , Lucy Dierks , Annette Gates , Tina Gebhart, Ryan Greenheck , Bryan Hopkins, Marlene Jack, Kristen Kieffer, Allison McGowan, Karen Newgard, Emily Reason, Deborah Schwartzkopf, Gay Smith, and Julie Wiggins have works on display and for sale through September 25, 2010 at MudFire Gallery, 175 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA.