Kate Jones – 'I carry you', 2023

Five amphorae made of terracotta, filled with preciousness, and sealed with beeswax.

Sold individually.

Designed to hold precious supplies of water, oil, wine, perfume, and perhaps even human ashes, these vessels rendered in terracotta reference the history of amphorae made millennia ago. The playful language of symbols that adorns them adds a second layer of meaning, speaking to personal mythologies and alluding to the universal truth that all of our lives are made out of stories. They may weigh us down at times, but they inform who we are, and they sustain us.

Originally trussed together for safe transport, these modern amphorae, while not destined for a ship's hold, are bound together still. Sling them over your shoulder, and you will be ready for any journey. Throw them down when their burden is too great.

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Kate Jones is based in Naarm (Melbourne) and has a practice grounded in clay. Pottery is an abiding love that Jones returns to again and again—creating objects to ritualise the performance of quotidian acts. Throwing on the wheel offers a dropping off of mind and a reconnection to bodily ways of knowing that enrich other forms of making. Research, teaching, photography, and writing are integral to Jones’s approach, informing both conceptual and technical aspects of her exhibition work.

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Jugs

May 6- June 24

Read about the exhibition.

Jugs is part of Melbourne Design Week 2023, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.

Material: terracotta, glaze, beeswax

Dimensions: Dimensions variable