Ugo had a partner called Camilla. They were a couple made from porcelain who sung an operetta together, which they did twice and shortly afterwards Camilla left. A bittersweet romance. I relate to palpable narratives that transcend history throughout time. Ugo once sung a duet, and now he is solo, so I hand made him some lovely hand dyed pom poms and bows to comfort him. He wears this intimate gesture as an accessory, with pride.
Ugo, like my other sculptures finds himself slumping from the heat of the kiln, as if his own making is almost too much for him. He's made from the brightest clay that is fired at the highest temperature and becomes the strongest, yet he appears precariously perched and more vulnerable than he really is.
Looking at how images or forms can communicate the subjective and conditional nature of perception helps me re-organise, re-imagine and transform the symbolic order of things in the world.
Courtesy of Station Gallery
Michelle Ussher was born in 1975 in Moree, NSW. Based in London since 2008, Michelle has received her BA with Honours from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne in 2002. Her work has been exhibited since 2005 and is held in public and private collections, in particular the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, UBS, Credit Suisse and Art and Australia.
glazed porcelain, epoxy putty, hand dyed pom poms, powder coated steel
75 x 50 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2015 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Dr Michael Brand (Director of the Art Gallery of NSW), Penelope Seidler AM (Arts Patron and Director of Harry Seidler & Associates) and Barbara Flynn (International Curatorial Advisor).