Description

Planned by the Rehabilitation Services 'Arts and Beings' of St. James' Settlement, and funded by the Social Welfare Department's 'Art Development Fund for Disabled Persons', the project 'Following the Clay' will be holding an exhibition of the same name at Our Gallery, Wanchai Centre from 9 to 18 May. The pottery exhibition 'Following the Clay' presents around a hundred pottery works and their creation stories from 12 pottery artists. The public can appreciate the pottery creations from more angles through photo albums and short videos with introductions and guided tours by the artists themselves.

Stepping out of the comfort zone of creation

Starting in mid-2022, the 'Following the Clay' project provided advanced pottery courses for people in rehabilitation. Four potters, including Chan Sikong, Cheung Kai-sun, Kan Suet-fan, and Lau Wai-shan, served as instructors for the project, teaching pottery techniques in small classes and inspiring autonomous creation. The 12 participating pottery artists have different personalities and preferences. Through the guidance of the instructors, they stepped out of their comfort zones, improved their ceramic skills, and created more possibilities and personal characteristics.

The course was divided into four groups, with one instructor leading three pottery artists in a six-month intensive study. The instructors designed various games and exercises to help the pottery artists listen to their inner voices, view things from different perspectives, explore and discover their favourite elements, and then use corresponding creative techniques to shape works with personal styles. This pottery exhibition is the culmination of the project.

Instructor Cheung Kai-sun taught the artists through picture collage exercises, allowing them to study different combinations of facial features to form interesting expressions. They then collaged a facial mask representing themselves and used hand-pinching techniques to create three-dimensional works. Pottery artist Lau Sai-oak took this exercise further and used his self-awareness to create a portrait with more prominent features than his own face, titled 'Lau Sai-oak'. Another pottery artist, Lau Hoi-lok, was guided by instructor Lau Wai-shan to attempt a unique creation, 'Six-Colour Flower', using a bas-relief technique to make a semi-three-dimensional clay flower.

Showing passion for creation and life

Senior Manager of Rehabilitation Services and Project Coordinator of 'Following the Clay' of St. James' Settlement, Cheung Man-wing, said, 'We believe that people in rehabilitation have the right to appreciate, experience, and participate in artistic creation. Through this project, we further showcase their close communication and connection with clay, linking more people and things through pottery. We hope that the public will feel the passion of the 12 pottery artists for creation and life when visiting this joint exhibition.'

Exhibiting pottery artists: Chow Ka-nok, Hui Ka-ho, Hui Pak, Hung Ming-him, Lai Kin Jerome, Lau Hoi-lok, Lau Sai-oak, Li Jia Lok, Siu Yu-hang, Tam Liang-hung, Huang Zhen邦, Wong Lik-kong

Pottery consultant instructors: Chan Sikong, Cheung Kai-sun, Kan Suet-fan, Lau Wai-shan

Cover image: The 'Following the Clay' pottery exhibition will be held on 9 May, presenting about a hundred works and the stories of 12 pottery artists.

Images 1 & 2: Pottery artist Lau Sai-oak used his self-awareness to create a portrait with more prominent features than his own face, titled 'Lau Sai-oak'

Images 3 & 4: Pottery artist Lau Hoi-lok created a unique 'Six-Colour Flower' using a bas-relief technique to make a semi-three-dimensional clay flower