Search

The Art of Dining

National Gallery of Victoria

Hecker Guthrie’s installation is a play on excess, and a nod to the lavish dinner parties of aristocracy and fuss. There is a sense of playfulness and a rejection of structure. The installation manifests as a series of plain white crockery items; stacked and assembled, and purposely stripped of any markings or deliberate design. The removal or recognisable markings, distinctions of class if you will, are a comment onto itself. Intertwined within the elements are a series of broken pieces, that are all bound together as a celebration of their flaws. Through the Japanese repair method known as ‘kintsugi’, the countless imperfections are highlighted, their cracks and chips filled with gold.

A collaboration with Robert Gordon and James Richardson, this sculpture celebrates the beauty of an Australian handmade signature. Both in the ceramic pieces, and in the seating elements (that represent the traditional makers marks on their bases), the experience is intended to conjure a sense of the familiar and celebrate the handmade.

Aod 1
Aod 6
Aod 5
Aod 2
Aod 4
Aod 3
Aod 7