Ebony Russell – 'Fancy Face Urns- We Don't Owe You A Smile', 2022

A short book written in 1956 on Women in Antiquity inspired me to begin creating forms mimicking Greek and Roman vessels. Traditionally these forms are richly illustrated with women celebrated in daily roles, rituals, and myths. Mortal or immortal womenkind was a more independent and influential figure in these pre-history times. My unorthodox ceramic piping technique was developed out of an interest in gendered aesthetics and labour. Craft, ceramics and fancywork collide with gold lustre framing my sentiments referencing wealth, social status and the classically feminine interior. Nine years into the #metoo movement and my disappointments in recent events from criticism of Grace Tame withholding a smile to the American reversal of Roe v. Wade are evident in these works. Grace Tame does not owe you a smile and neither do my urns.

These works originally exhibited at Artereal Gallery in De.CORUM, 2022.

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Ebony Russell has established a reputation as one of the new generation of experimental ceramicists pushing the boundaries of the medium further and further into the realm of contemporary art. She is well known for her decadent, ostentatious, and overtly feminine ceramic creations.

Having experienced a meteoric few years defined by a flurry of awards and inclusions in major exhibitions, Ebony Russell has received acclaim and recognition for the following accolades: Winner of the 2022 Meroogal Women's Art Prize and Winner of the International Franz Rising Star Award for excellence in porcelain, which resulted in a residency in Jingdezhen, China in 2019. More recently her work has been included in the major exhibition Clay Dynasty at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney with a series of commissioned pieces now forming part of the museum's permanent collection. Her work was also recently acquired for the Bendigo Art Gallery's permanent collection.

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Vessel Project

June 1- July 29

The Vessel Project is an exploration of the vessel en masse, as imagined by Melbourne’s most creative practitioners. The showcase continues the examination of modern amphorae in Jugs, and celebrates Craft's curatorial collaboration with the NGV for Vessels – now showing as part of Melbourne Now at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. 

Read about the exhibition.

Material: black mid fire clay, glaze, and gold lustre

Dimensions: variable  – approx. 30cm 12cm x 46cm each

Urns sold as a set of 3 - negotiable with the artist. Non Functional Urns.