As one of our #UKGermany2018 artists in residence, Duane Bahia Benatti visited the “Further thoughts on earthly materials exhibition” that took place in Hamburg and Bremen. The exhibition brought together works of a younger generation of artists that take an unconventional approach to ceramic material and establish references to the present. It shed a light on an emerging art movement that deliberately uses haptic materials and artisan production processes and therewith counteracts the dominant contemporary art reflecting virtual realities and the digitization of the world.
Duane has been researching ceramics during his time as a student at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle and as an artist for the last two years.
The artist chose to respond to the video by British artist Neil Brownsword, where exhibition spectators could watch images of former British ceramic fabrics. He also learned more about Brownsword’s experiences with another artists during a series of workshops in former British ceramic fabrics by reading his essay “Topography of the Obsoltete: Exploring Site Specific and Associated Histories of Post Industry”.
“I was interested in the topic of ceramics and have often visited former ceramic fabrics and obsolete industries. As an artist and citizen, I consider it important and urgent to reflect on our industrial heritage, urbanism and history in general. I find it interesting to analyse the specifics of each place, its relation to ceramics and the way that each place deals with its industrial legacy.“
Take a look at how those have inspired him and how he reacted to the pieces!
