Highly regarded potter Larissa Warren of Ratbag Studios has been chosen as one of six artists commissioned for the Here and Now Gold Coast Triennial exhibition at HOTA.
“The acting director came and visited me about 12 months ago and I was absolutely delighted because I have such a connection with the Gold Coast and particularly that gallery,” Larissa said.
“I was born and raised on the Gold Coast and lived there for 40 years.”
The inspiration for Larissa’s exhibition came from looking out of her window on the mountain at the shadows over the valley to the Gold Coast.
Each piece of work features two vessels from a separate location, one is the shadow, made with the local clay, and the other is coloured porcelain inland using a nerikomi technique, a pattern block of various colours and patterns.
“It was such a big body of work. It will feature 25 vessels as well as a significant amount of research and field studies,” Larissa explained, adding it is a very scientific process.
“I worked closely with HOTA curator, Sam Creyton. We have weekly meetings, so it was almost like a mentorship.”
The work draws on the history and geology of the Gold Coast, with Larissa sourcing the clay from locations at schools around the region.
“I wanted to work with schools that don’t have as much access or opportunities like Springbrook State School which only has 20 students and Numinbah Valley which only has eight students.
“Kids know where clay is from, where the puddles are and it’s fun working with them.
“The clays each had their own special characteristics, and I had to problem solve with each clay as I was working with it.
“I particularly didn’t want to alter the clays, so I had to work with what I dug up; I thought it was important the clays told the story of the local land.”
The Here and Now exhibition runs from September 28 to February 16 at HOTA.
