5 – 26 November 2022
Hand Made
2022
A Syncretism
The stories that are evoked by placing these faked pieces into a gallery display speak of irony and labour. The very containers that were destined for the rubbish heap have been given a new life, invigorated by their treatment and plastic arts potential. I am simultaneously cherishing the old works and restoring a commodity. The plastics in PET (result of petrochemical industry) containers do have a very long shelf life perhaps as long as ceramic pieces although because they are claimed to be imminently re-cyclable, many do not last forever.
In the making process I am constantly learning the art of the flourish and no two works are exactly the same. Simulating something and losing the thread through repetition is a principle of trompe loeil effect. I have made watercolour paintings of various Japanese pictures (including Hokusai’s Fatty and Slender), counteracted by a copy of a Chippendale (US) copy of a Japanese sewing cabinet.
I set out to exploit and expand on these ornamentation devices, and by combining found objects, plastic and natural elements in a combination style I present the offerings as totems of this day and age, mimicking the luxury of collections and drawing attention to hyper-consumption and the reality of the waste it produces.
Ōi Goffman November 2022
Occasional Space 