You Are Me 2016
My practice is rooted in the relationship between process, material and meaning. I am interested in the exchange of energy that is essential to life, be it intrinsic or extrinsic. I have developed a process of working in which the juxtaposition of clay and glass creates layers of tension, allowing me to test the limits of endurance and resilience within the form of the porcelain vessel.
I am drawn to how ceramic materials and processes have affinities with the human condition. How we respond and engage with the injury of experience – within, with each other, with the other is at the core of my practice. By embracing wounds, deeper meaning can be brought to our lives, transforming suffering into something worthy, sensuous and beautiful. As COVID-19 sweeps around the world, profound issues of social injustice are laid bare. Awareness that we are all one has never been more pressing.
You Are Me II 2016
My practice is rooted in the relationship between process, material and meaning. I am interested in the exchange of energy that is essential to life, be it intrinsic or extrinsic. I have developed a process of working in which the juxtaposition of clay and glass creates layers of tension, allowing me to test the limits of endurance and resilience within the form of the porcelain vessel.
I am drawn to how ceramic materials and processes have affinities with the human condition. How we respond and engage with the injury of experience – within, with each other, with the other is at the core of my practice. By embracing wounds, deeper meaning can be brought to our lives, transforming suffering into something worthy, sensuous and beautiful.
Who is Speaking? Who is Listening? 2019
As an artist aboard the expedition Canada C3 marking the 150th anniversary of confederation, I sailed from Qikiqtarjuaq to Mittimatalik on Baffin Island. I was born into the dominant white culture of southern Canada. As I prepared myself for the journey, the importance of listening was central in my mind. Listening involves consciously choosing what we want to hear. Our level of consciousness limits what we are able to hear. So many truths need to be understood, before we can begin to grasp what reconciliation with our indigenous peoples means.
I have made porcelain ear trumpets reminiscent of the hollowed out animal horns traditionally used as hearing aids. Using the fragile nature of porcelain, I aim to draw attention to the quality of both speaking and listening today. Why are we so slow to wake up? Are we hard of hearing? Or does it have more to do with the impoverished condition of our hearts?
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by COCA.
Paula Murray
Canada
Paula Murray has lived on the shores of Meech Lake since opening her first studio in 1980. Recipient of several awards, she was elected into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (2006) and the International Academy of Ceramics (2017).
She has received honourable mentions for prestigious competitions in Taipei, Taiwan, Mino, Japan, Icheon and Cheonju, Korea, Cluj, Romania and Faenza, Italy. Her work is held in museums associated with the above exhibitions and numerous public collections including, Canada House, London, UK, Canadian Museum of History, Canada Council Art Bank, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, and The Gardiner Museum.
Paula studied sciences at the University of Ottawa, ceramics at Sheridan College, Toronto and continues to study the Baha’i Faith. She and her family are sailors and were at sea for much of a five-year period raising their young children. Her ocean voyages inform her approach to earth, water, fire, and happenstance, fissure and wave.