We are thrilled to be exhibiting new work by ceramic artist Jenny Orchard in our 2018 program. Jenny will be part of our May exhibition along with Anthony Cahill, Nancy Constandelia, Janet Haslett and UNSW Art & Design graduate Beccy Tait.

Expressing the connected nature of all life and matter is at the core of Jenny Orchard’s art practice. Working with painting, collage and primarily ceramics, her work forms part of a narrative about a fictitious and parallel world in a state of change. Her practice references places she has lived and lives, as well as her fascination with European tradition, African and Aboriginal mythologies, Australian contemporary culture and the environment. Jenny’s ceramic ‘creatures’ and vases are formed using earthenware clay and an array of vibrantly coloured glazes, each possessing a unique personality and exhibiting a complete defiance of convention. This intermix of elements combined with the decorative tradition of clay expresses her interest in the interconnectedness of life, culture and form. “…each image or ceramic forms a story on its own, but the narrative running through all of them is that of accelerated change, chance encounters and the suggestion of parallel realities…”

Born in Turkey, Jenny grew up in Zimbabwe and immigrated to Australia in 1976.  She studied at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1980.  Jenny has exhibited widely in Australia and Internationally. She has been awarded many prizes including the 2017 University of Queensland’s National Self-Portrait Prize and the 2017 Biennial Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Art Award. Her work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Queensland Art Gallery, Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Pictured is A Rude Bear and Exile on Edith Street, 2013, ceramic vase and earthenware glazes