New exhibition celebrates Barry Brickell
Barry Brickell and his work.
A new exhibition celebrating one of New Zealand's most enduring potters opens today at Rotorua Museum.
His Own Steam: The Work of Barry Brickell is the first significant survey of Brickell's work and brings together about 50 works that span more than 60 years of making.
In a rare opportunity to meet Barry Brickell himself, both he and curator David Craig will be giving a talk in the exhibition today at 1pm.
As one of New Zealand's most important ceramicists, and a major figure in the development of a distinctive indigenous style of ceramics, Barry Brickell's work pulses with a humour and sexuality rare in New Zealand art or craft.
The exhibition His Own Steam follows Brickell's other passions, notably his staunch enthusiasm for both trains and environmental restoration. The Driving Creek Potteries and Railway in Coromandel, his home and base since the 1970s, is a unique and beloved tourist attraction, testifying to his fierce commitment to art, engineering and conservation.
Toured by The Dowse Art Museum this retrospective exhibition includes a number of major Spiromorphs' (large-scale works built from coiled clay), alongside ceramic murals exhibited in public for the first time, and a myriad of other forms and characters, from Fatsos' to Thinsos'. In addition, His Own Steam showcases Brickell's early development as a potter, including works made in collaboration with well-known art critic Hamish Keith, during their time as flatmates in the 1950s.
His Own Steam was curated by Dowse Art Museum Senior Curator Emma Bugden and sociologist David Craig, in close partnership with Barry Brickell.
The exhibition is accompanied by a major publication of the same name. The book His Own Steam: The Work of Barry Brickell is published by the Auckland University Press.
His Own Steam is on at Rotorua Museum until 24 August 2014. Entry to both the exhibition and talk are included with Museum admission which is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $8 for children. Entry is free for local residents with ID.