04 April – 04 May 

Opening reception 04 April 5.30-7.30pm 

 

Lavit Gallery is pleased to present a presentation of ceramic sculptures and vessels by Kathleen Standen, as the first in a series of installations utilising and responding to the unique architecture of our vaults.    

In the early 1800s, two vaulted spaces, which are located off the main gallery, were once used to burn a type of smokeless coal, as part of the malting process carried out in the building. The resulting hot air was directed to the floors above where malt was raked to assist in its drying. Since the complex was converted to artistic use in 1999 the vaults have been host to a multitude of art installations and displays as well as being used as a retail area. Using the spaces for displaying art is not without its challenges but it is intended that a new curated selection of installations will work with the space and its features.   

Kathleen Standen makes ceramic sculptures and vessels that allow her to explore colour and texture. The ever-changing patterns of weather in Southwest Ireland, together with rock strata, moving and still water, and wildflowers are just some of the influences which are reflected in the textures, colours and glazes in her work. Her pieces range from small sculptures and vessels to large sculptures for display in gardens. 

Standen’s large urn and bowl forms have qualities that are reminiscent of archaeological ceramics, perhaps from a culture that is yet unknown to us. For the installation ‘Tomb’ the vaults are reimagined as a repository for ancient funerary vessels. Using lighting and different degrees of grouping and isolation the installation challenges traditional modes of display for craft objects, instead providing a suggested reading and interpretation of the body of work as a whole.  

 

 

 

Kathleen Standen was born in London in an Irish artistic family. She studied Marine Biology at Bangor, University of North Wales, and then went into a career in teaching. Having held a long-term interest in ceramics, she left teaching and enrolled on a degree course in ceramics at the London Metropolitan University. Since graduating in 2005 she has been selected to exhibit in group shows in Ireland, USA, Germany, Belgium, China, Greece and the UK. Highlights of her career include:  joint winner of the Contemporary Ceramics Award 2010 by Millcove Gallery, Castletownbere ; a  solo exhibition in the West Cork Art centre in May 2011 titled , ‘Ebb & Flow’;.  Representing  Ireland in a residency at the FuLe museums in Fuping, China in 2011;   recipient of the Sculpture prize in Blarney Castle Gardens Sculpture exhibitions 2013 and 2014, and her work is permanently on display in the gardens;  Bloomsbury published, as part their  New ceramics Series, ‘Additions to Clay Bodies’ written by Kathleen Standen  which was released for sale in May 2013. It was also published by ‘The American Ceramic Society’ for sale in the U.S.A, and also translated and published in China.