Julienne Lewis — 'You Know Who I Am' Sculptural Ceramic, 2026

'Well I am the one who loves changing from nothing to one'

Leonard Cohen’s spiritually resonant music and lyrical explorations of the human condition have long served as a source of beauty, comfort and hope for ceramicist Julienne Lewis. While each of Cohen’s songs offers its own wisdom and insight, it is Anthem that most profoundly encapsulates the essence of his enduring legacy. In this work, Cohen reframes fear, uncertainty and imperfection not as deficiencies, but as the very origins of strength, resilience and illumination. His celebrated assertion that "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" speaks to the transformative power of embracing human vulnerability. 

This body of work, Flawed, is presented as a homage to Cohen’s profound influence. Throughout the artist’s life, his words have offered solace in heartbreak, solidarity in grief, and a deeper understanding of self, all delivered with his characteristic wit and humanity. Drawing inspiration from the themes that permeate Cohen’s oeuvre, each piece explores the vulnerabilities, contradictions and obsessions that define the human experience. 

The exhibition title, Flawed, reflects both Cohen’s philosophy and the artist’s approach to making. The varying degrees of deconstruction within the works mirror the fragility and impermanence of our own lives, revealing beauty in what is broken, weathered or incomplete. Rather than concealing imperfection, these pieces celebrate it as a source of authenticity, resilience and strength. In doing so, they embody Cohen’s enduring belief that our flaws are not shortcomings to be overcome, but openings through which understanding, connection and light can enter. 

—

Vessels are a potent symbol of their times reflecting a society’s culture, values and beliefs. Julienne reinterprets this fundamental artifact to reflect the current climate, in the hope of making some sense of this bewildering world. Crafted from the earth, her deconstructed vessels evoke a sense of the organic, referencing the human form, culture and emotion. Their timeless, fossil-like quality gives the impression of having been ‘unearthed’ rather than created.  

Hand-built, her sculptural vessels are surprisingly light, embodying both fragility and strength. Through layered slips and multiple firings, she works sustainably to explore form and texture, producing a range of vessels that illuminate our impermanence and vulnerability.  

Julienne acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land of this clay, the people of the Kulin Nation. She also acknowledges the assistance of Melbourne’s School of Clay and Art. Julienne strives to work sustainably wherever possible. 

—

Flawed

'There is a crack, a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in', Anthem: Leonard Cohen 1992

For Chris Lloyd — 16 December 1944 - 22 November 2024

Atrium

October 6 - November 7 2026

Flawed is an exhibition by Melbourne-based artist Julienne Lewis, inspired by Leonard Cohen’s Anthem. Through a series of thoughtfully crafted works, Lewis explores the beauty, resilience and humanity found in imperfection. Embracing flaws as markers of experience rather than defects, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on vulnerability, strength and the cracks through which growth and meaning emerge.

Read more here:

—

Material: porcelain, slips, glazes, ink

Dimensions: approx. 31 x 15 x 12cm