My current practice is a combination of painting and ceramic, and depicts spirits and shamans, ancestors or gods who are in communication with other realms or dimensions. The works are inspired by ideas from many different religions and philosophies, finding parallels in the ways that we as humans describe existence. It consists of a group of six magic people, sitting in a circle. They are mid ceremony and are beginning a transformation into the spirit world, in ecstasy, dangerous and wild. They are the custodians of a primitive consciousness.
In sacred geometry, six represents creation, harmony and balance. It is the Solar Wheel, the Star of David and the Flower of Life. Six represents the hexagonal crystalline systems of quartz, a central thread in the ideology of the Desana shaman. Imagery of crystals as tools of religious practice or representing spiritual metamorphoses in storytelling crosses many cultures.
The figures reflect artefacts: shapes are organic, and are decorated with shells and crystals to create a feeling of hand-made crudeness. They are an expression of the primitive core of mankind and a reminder of the importance of the stories of our past in our understanding of who we are today.
Courtesy of Arthouse Gallery
Leah Fraser is a Sydney based artist, exhibitioning in galleries across Australia. She is a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts, Sydney; followed by an Art Production Residency from Arquetopia, Puebla Mexico. Leah was a finalist at the prestigous Blake Prize, and has been published in Vogue Living, Country Home Ideas and The Design Files Blog.
earthenware, assorted shells and crystals
25 x 45 x 45 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2014 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Lisa Havilah (Director of Carriageworks), Justin Miller (International Art Advisor and former Chairman of Sotheby's Australia) and Gretel Packer (Arts Patron and Trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW).
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