Celebrate artist Virginia Leonard's debut exhibition, Breath Holder, at the Gow Langsford Gallery from June 10 - July 4.
Breath holding is a phenomenon familiar to those who suffer from chronic pain. Tensing themselves physically and psychologically, sufferers brace their bodies to cope with the constant pain they feel and anticipate. But in doing so, they inadvertently stop doing what they implicitly know aids the body in pain management – breathing.
As poems constructed from her clay language, Leonard’s ceramics delight in the viscera of her body. The large structures recall the quotidian shapes of vases, jugs, and urns, but are abstracted, morphed into melting masses of sticky resin and bulging lumps. By creating vessels we associate with the domestic, Leonard reminds us that for her chronic pain is ongoing – part of her unique every day. As pneumatic objects that contain air in their hollow bodies, and topped, urn-like, with lids, Leonard’s ceramics are themselves breath holders: gleaming reliquaries of her spirit.
Artist talk: Saturday June 13, 1pm
Visit the gallery on June 13 for the preview at 1pm where Virginia Leonard will be speaking to her art. Please RSVP to cass@glg.co.nz so we can manage numbers and social distancing.
Sponge Bath - Virginia Leonard
Image credit: Gow Langsford Gallery website
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