In complement to the offerings of WEDGE: Australian Ceramics Triennale, the exhibition showcases the works of 11 internationally accomplished artists as they investigate the tension between function and form, contemporary techniques and traditional craft, expanding on MJAC’s International Artist in Residence Sakshi Agarwal’s exploration of “modern day reliquaries - containers of significance, or memory while embracing contemporary perspectives”.

Vessels includes artists working across disciplines of clay, leather and bronze, silver and goldsmithing, fibre and textiles. Pushing the boundaries of materiality through playful mastery and exquisite technical execution, the featured artists, alongside Fani, include Sakshi Agarwal, Tanija & Graham Carr, Carmela Corvaia, Fiona Gavino & Solomon Hunter, Claire Ng, Victoria Martínez Zurbano, Philip Noakes and Martien van Zuilen.

“The technical skill and creativity highlighted by each of the artists contemporary approach to long established craft traditions, reveal the timeless relevance of their crafts, and the ability to preserve culture and memories through continued practice”, explains the curatorial team.

Fani’s 2021 work Nomkhitha (Black and Beautiful), that formed part of his iQweqwe series, is on loan from the City of Bunbury Collection for the exhibition. Exhibiting his work as part of Vessels provides a rare opportunity for Perth audiences to revisit his unique clay practice.

This diverse selection of artists and their forms speak of artisanal and archaeological significance. The vessels in this exhibition can be functional containers for food, water and precious treasures, or symbolic, sometimes mythological notions of a container, however most significantly, they carry cultural traditions, stories and refer to generations of craftsmanship. The skilled exploration of materiality across ceramics, fibre, wood, metal and leather coalesce, resulting in a collection of modern relics which reference the past, but are situated in the present.

Vessels highlights the timeless relevance of these crafts and their ability to preserve culture and memories through their continued practice.