Drawn by stones
When
27 August 2022 -
06 November 2022
Location
Wollongong Art Gallery
46 Burelli St, Wollongong NSW 2500
Touring exhibition
Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios
6 April - 14 May 2022
Australian Ceramics Triennale
22 July - 28 July 2022
Wollongong Art Gallery
27 August - 6 November 2022
Drawn by stones is a touring exhibition that brings together artists who utilise the ceramic medium to interrogate contested histories, stolen land, Indigenous sovereignty, and national identity. Exhibiting artists from Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan investigate ‘nationhood’ and ownership through ceramics and demonstrate how the ceramic form can both memorialise and tell alternative histories.
Taking its title from Marvin Bell’s 1984 poem Drawn by Stones, by Earth, by Things That Have Been in the Fire, this exhibition recognises that the foundations of ceramic practice lie in the earth – and through the work of exhibiting artists, aims to expand the relevance of ceramic histories, dialogues and interrogations of land, place, sovereignty and ownership across Asia and Australia.
Originally iterated as a small exhibition project for 4A Centre’s Haymarket gallery, Drawn by stones has captured a strong interest nationally, and is now a major touring project, which premiered in 2021 at Counihan Gallery in Brunswick on Wurundjeri land. From 2022, the exhibition expands to tour nationally with works from Dean Cross, Ray Chan, and Wen-Hsi Harman, newly- commissioned pieces by Penny Evans, Ruth Ju-shih Li and Jody Rallah, as well as a community-engaged array of public programs.
Drawn by stones is curated by Bridie Moran with Assistant Curators Jody Rallah and Annette An-Jen Liu.
The touring exhibition is currently on show at Wollongong Art Gallery from 27 August - 6 November 2022.
Exhibition Opening
Friday 2 September 2022 | 5:30pm - 8pm
Exhibition walk-through
Wednesday 7 September 2022 | 11am - 12pm
Free | Held in-person at Wollongong Art Gallery
Events
4A Summer Activity:
Clay flowers with Ruth Ju-Shih Li
Workshop
Tuesday, 21 December 2021, 4:00am
Friday, 28 January 2022, 4:00am
Learn to make raw clay flowers with Taiwanese-Australian artist Ruth Ju-Shih Li!
Ruth is part of 4A’s exhibition Drawn by Stones, which will be touring throughout 2021. Ruth likes making imaginary animals, flowers and plants with both fired and raw clay.
This summer, you can make beautiful flower arrangements just like hers in this short, step-by-step video!
Top image: Image: Ray Chan See Kwong, NEW RE NEW (detail), 2018, 49 teacups: various local Chuen Lung clays, glazed and fired; produced as part of the 2018 public art and community project Hi! Hill!, by the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Organised by the Art Promotion Office with Curatorial Partner (art in-situ): Make A Difference Institute, Hong Kong; courtesy the artist; Mounted on River bench, recycled spotted gum bench and assorted hardwood legs, wax, by Bryden Williams of Mount Framing, commissioned by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 2021; photo: Christian Capurro for Drawn by stones, presented by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art at Counihan Gallery, Brunswick, 2021
Drawn by stones is a 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art touring project. The exhibition and associated programming are supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, and the NSW Government through Create NSW, with development support for this exhibition provided by the Ministry of Culture Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, and The Gordon Darling Foundation.
