It is always a pleasure to change over the gallery and create a different look. This month is going to be special as we have three makers who have been with us a few times before and they have always generated interest through their creativity and undoubted artistry.
Akiko Hirai is one of our favourites and we are pleased to see her work here again. Her Japanese origins are clearly evident in most of her pieces but they are nevertheless contemporary and often at the edge of design and ceramic development. It is her innovative spirit which pervades her making that attracts so many to her fine vessels. I am particular pleased that she will be joining us for the Makers Lunch to be held on on 6 October.
It is too long since Alasdair MacDonell and Sally MacDonell have shown here and I have missed their exceptionally innovative and original approaches to ceramic sculpture. They do have distinct stylistic voices, however they share the same values in terms of skills and a concern to enhance the home with objects of beauty and long-lasting interest. I last saw Sally’s work at Ceramic Art London and was struck then by the maturity and confidence in her making.
More than any language we might choose to describe the work this month, the smile is likely to be the most common expression of the pleasure that I know will be generated by Akiko, Alasdair and Sally
Stuart Dickens
Ceramic Curator
September 2018
