Chun Liao at Barrett Marsden
'Installation 2009', Chun Liao (photo: Phil Sayer)
Work by Taiwanese ceramicist Chun Liao is on show at London’s Barrett Marsden Gallery until 20 June
The first thing that strikes you about Chun Liao’s ceramics is their amazing colour. Each pot is made in a single shade, and although there may be some surface marks like a tiny piece of metal or a staple, decoration and form definitely play second fiddle here.
Early on in her career Liao used the tasteful muted colours of traditional Chinese celadons, but after the birth of her first child she started using an electric kiln and began making smaller pots in a much more vibrant range of hues. And I really mean vibrant – the vessels on show here include pots in zingy oranges and yellows, deep purples, sky blues and sea-greens. The impact of these rainbow colours is increased by the way Liao displays them in nests, with one pot resting inside another, so that the colours are juxtaposed to form a series of circular ceramic rainbow. The effect’s a long way from the risk-free colours of both traditional Asian celadons and traditional British studio pottery. As well as enhancing the richness of her jewel-like colours, these nests represent Liao’s interlocking experiences as a Taiwanese born artist living in Britain.
www.bmgallery.co.uk
