A tree house hinged on the shell of a turtle? As bizarre as it sounds, this single piece of intricate art entirely done in ceramic, speaks volumes of the craftsmanship behind pottery as an art practice.
Sculptural and most often utilitarian, pottery across mediums like ceramic, stone, porcelain and earth, are not seen as collectibles. Pottery markets attempt to change this perception by facilitating a marketplace for these wares. Despite its proximity to Puducherry, touted as a hub for ceramic art, Chennai’s interaction with the medium is surprisingly limited. But this weekend, in a first, Chennai’s Apparao Gallery will host a studio potters market, to familiarise the city with pottery as a medium of collectible art.
Studio pottery is different from traditional pottery — while the former usually has a narrative and is experimental in outlook, traditional potters focus on utility. At this display spread across stalls, 21 studio potters from across the country will display their creations. “Pottery in some ways is an artform that is not fully collectible. So with that awareness, we wanted to do a market for young artists for exposure. And these markets are very common in other cities,” says Sharan Apparao of Apparao Gallery. This is however the first in Chennai, and facilitates a direct line between these artists and buyers.
Potters from Pune, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Puducherry will be displaying their wares. “The main pottery movement in Auroville started with Ray Meeker and Deborah of Golden Bridge Pottery who also trained many interested in the craft. “Similarly, pottery units and centres are anchors to small studio pottery communities in cities,” adds Sharan.
“Not every artist has an identity in the beginning. Even potters shape their characters over the years. This is equivalent to an affordable art fair, but for pottery. It’s a bazaar-cum-marketplace for young potters,” says Sharan. Each potter will have 30 to 40 pieces on display.
Priya Sundaravalli from Puducherry for instance will display her decorative, delicate work while Kim Wong’s work will have noticeable Korean influences. Potrarasan is a sculptor and pottery teacher from Tamil Nadu who is known to play with colours. There will also be pieces that are entirely utilitarian.
Studio Art Pottery - Chennai Market is on from January 5 to 7 at Apparao Gallery, Nungambakkam
