WITH the oldest found in China dating back 18,000 years, an eating bowl is a universal symbol of humanity and life, according to Yagoona artist Kerryanne Foley whose exhibition ‘Shi (Truth and Substance)’ is on offer at Bankstown Arts Centre until February 29.
Kerryanne has created 15 one-of-a-kind bowls and three vases for the exhibition which she hopes will get visitors thinking about our common, earthly links and rituals.
“Eating out of bowls is something everyone does from when they are very young and it struck me that bowls allow us to hold life in our hands,” she explained.
“They hold the food that keeps us alive and it’s a very tactile experience since you can feel it in your hands; it’s as if the bowl is connecting with you and making you want to hold it.”
But these aren’t just any ceramic bowls.
Kerryanne, who holds a Law as well as a Fine Arts degree and is a ceramic expert, has illustrated them with the symbols first used by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu whose student was Confucius.
“They each feature different markings as a tribute,” she said.
“They include heaven, earth, mountain, rain, thunder and fire; we are connected by all of these things so to have them on a bowl, it’s another level, an intellectual type of discourse.”
Along with a large vase made from stoneware depicting Kerryanne’s dog Nemo and two slab vases featuring a woman holding a bird, the bowls are available for purchase.
The exhibition is open daily, 9am-5pm (except for weekends), in the Incubate Gallery.
Daily ritual linking humanity
