Singapore Stories:
Ceramic Interpretations of Places Around Us

Participating Artist:
Hetty Lie-Schrike, Hiroko Mita, Vinata Goswamy

7 April – 5 May 2018

Singapore-based art collective Bonding With Clay , presents Singapore Stories: Ceramic Interpretations of Places Around Us, an inaugural group exhibition co-organised with Mulan Gallery. Featuring works by the three founding members Hetty Lie-Schrike, Hiroko Mita and Vinata Goswamy.

Sparked by the Bali Field Trip undertaken by pioneer Nanyang artists in 1952, the three ceramic artists undertook several field trips, seeking inspiration nowhere else than in the country they call home: Singapore. The rewarding experience of exploring the rich cultural diversity of the city-state together resulted in the body of work presented in this exhibition, a reflection of their common experience as well as their distinct cultural backgrounds.

In these days of greater connectivity and ease of travel, the beauty of the familiar is often overlooked. Visiting various iconic and everyday places around Singapore, the artists returned to the studio to relay their impressions and stories in clay. These ceramic interpretations run the gamut of architecture, arts and crafts, religions, traditions and customs, to the hardworking dhobis and the samsui women of the olden days, and finally each artist’s culturally distinct footwear – symbolic of the diverse roots they’ve each come from and planted in Singapore, as well as their ceramic journeys.

This first Bonding with Clay exhibition marks 12 years since the trio first embarked on their ceramic odyssey, which had its beginnings at a series of introductory pottery classes for museum docents led by master potter Dr Iskandar Jalil at Jalan Bahar Clay Studios. Aside from showcasing these recent works created since the formation of the ceramic collective in 2015, Singapore Stories will also include the trio’s first pottery pieces created under the tutelage of Dr Iskandar in 2006. As an homage to their mentor, the exhibition will also feature an early guest work by Dr Iskandar, a reminder of how they started on their pottery journey, which continues to bring endless joy and fulfilment to the three artists.