Ceramic Scene
Interview by Russell Tovey
Detail of Amelia Lynch, Desert Flame, 2022
Here, we share the work of nine living ceramic artists sure to get you fired up about the art of clay.
Artists and artisans working with ceramics have steadily contributed to the art world for centuries. From prehistoric pottery to ancient Greek amphoras, from the rise of porcelain in Asia and Europe to the Arts and Crafts movement in England and the US, ceramic traditions have long fascinated artists and infiltrated their practices. Over the past decade, the appreciation for contemporary ceramics in the art world has received significant recognition, positioning itself as an art form equally as relevant as painting and sculpture.
Previously seen as a lowly ‘craft’, the medium has been embraced by commercial galleries and experimental artists alike. Record auction prices, pottery classes bursting at the seams, Instagram superstars and innovative young artists are proof there is an undeniable boom in all things clay. Countless artists are shifting the perception of ceramics, ensuring that whether taking the shape of a functional vessel or an explosive sculpture, the art form is finally receiving its due respect and recognition.
First up we have one of the biggest names in the ceramic space – Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.
Nithiyendran is a Sri Lanka-born, Sydney-based contemporary artist who explores global histories and languages of figurative representation. Initially his art strikes one as bewildering and unsettling, rich in its diverse and complex references. However, there's an underlying logic to his creations, a thought process that is syllogistic in nature. He skillfully blends Hindu, Buddhist and Christian motifs inherited from his Sri Lankan roots, while also incorporating elements reminiscent of African animist deities, Meso-American idols and Polynesian effigies.
Nithiyendran's figures embody a spectrum of contradictory identities – from guardians and warriors to goddesses, demons, jokers and monsters. These multifaceted beings, with multiple heads, limbs and orifices, amalgamate traits from various life forms, serving the dual purposes of welcoming and intimidating observers. And while he is best known for his irreverent approach to ceramic media, his material vernacular is broad. He has worked imaginatively with sculptural materials including bronze, concrete, neon, LED and fibreglass, as well as conventional painting and printmaking materials and techniques.
A-M Journal asked Russell Tovey, an English actor and co-host of Talk Art – a podcast dedicated to the world of art featuring exclusive interviews with leading artists, curators and gallerists – to interview the artist about his creative process and studio practice.
Russell Tovey: Why is clay the predominant medium of your practice?
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran: Clay is an amazing material. There is a sense that you can make anything out of it! Histories connected to ceramic sculpture are multi-regional and ancient. There are creation stories from most parts of the world that involve the narrative motif of fashioning life from clay or red earth. The material feels pertinent when creating dialogues around idolatry, gender, religion and histories of figurative sculpture. But I also have a physical affinity with the medium and the technologies associated with its production… In other words, I enjoy using it.
RT: Where do your colour choices come from?
RMN: I’m interested in colour from material, experiential, conceptual, historical and cultural perspectives. I’m incredibly interested and inspired by the vernacular colour schemes that exist within part of South Asia. I sometimes think about my use of colour as somewhat of a political address. I am not and have never been interested in austerity. While my approach to colour can also be somewhat intuitive, my training as a painter has allowed me to think about and harness colour, tone, opacity, transparency, hue and saturation in considered, technical ways.
RT: How does being a Sydneysider affect your work?
RMN: Regional specificity is something I think about a lot. Operating in Australia, which is home to the oldest continuous Indigenous cultures who have harnessed incredible creativity, innovation and ingenuity to nurture the country and create compelling artworks is incredibly inspiring. There is also something conceptually interesting for me about living and working on an island.
RT: What is the biggest-scale single work you’ve ever made and do you have any ambition to go even larger? If so, how would you do this?
RMN: The installation Idols of Mud and Water, presented at Tramway in the UK in November 2023, was my biggest ever work. This involved 1200 square metres of kinetic, sculptural, experiential other-worldliness. I love working collaboratively and growing potential with the expertise of incredibly skilled fabricators or technicians who may not work with artists on a daily basis. I’m interested in scale as an idea, so going big or super-small is always creatively inspiring. In terms of the ‘how’ for the even bigger, it would depend on the opportunity!
RT: What are your studio rules?
RMN: I am incredibly diligent, I will give myself that! I’m in the studio a lot. I don’t have rules as such, but I operate best when the work is challenging to make. I often am working on many pieces at once and prefer the rhythms to be varied.
Top Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Terracotta Figure #94, 2023. Bottom Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Seated Bronze Figure with Masks, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
RT: Are there any images or shapes you avoid?
RMN: I don’t think I’ve ever used squares! I always think about irregularity, asymmetry and tension as key design principles when forming my work.
RT: What is the most common symbol within your practice?
RMN: I would have to say the face – I’ve never made anything without a face! In many ways, I’m somewhat dedicated to figurative representation. But there is something perhaps universally communicative about eyes, noses, mouths and other body parts.
RT: If you could show anywhere in the world, where would it be?
RMN: I’d love to show in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is where I was born.
RT: What does success as an artist allow you to do more of?
RMN: I get to be more experimental and reach wider audiences! But on a more basic level, I get to be in my studio and do what I love the most… Make art and explore ideas in speculative and open ways.
RT: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
RMN: Be wary of compliments.
Vipoo Srivilasa, Studio Image, 2022. Image courtesy the artist.
Detail of Emily Counts, Sea of Vapors, Museum of Museums, Seattle, 2023. Image courtesy the artist.
Tom Keukenmeester, White Hands, 2022. Image courtesy the artist.
Zhu Ohmu, It’s getting hot in here so take off all your coal. Himalayas visible for first time in 30 years as pollution levels in India drop, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist and Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney.