Details
Red stoneware
H. 83 cm
About Esther Palmer
"For me, clay serves as a catalyst for contemplation, remembrance and imagining. As we are living through what many would define as a geological epoch of our own making, the ‘Anthropocene,’ I feel it is crucial to envision and manifest alternative futures where humans can exist in symbiosis and harmony with the rest of the natural world. I use the potters wheel as a tool for metaphorical excavation, experimentation and healing, making animistic mineral forms embody growth and movement, both rooted in the past and aspiring to rise and evolve."
"For this reason my work is largely rooted in the interweaving narratives of landscape and deep time. I see the land we walk on as an archive of memories, mythologies and sociocultural histories. Like countless generations before, I seek to honour the natural rhythms of body, seasons and earth through the making of ceremonial landmarks."
"Inspired by the ghosts of the land, and the inherent mysteries and energies of the natural world, I try to make space for the ‘uncanny’ and the tenets of magic where the boundaries between the seen and unseen dissolve."
"These recent works, ‘Terra Incanta,' or 'Earth Enchants,' serve as a lyrical homage to the wild, untouched expanses of the earth, celebrating their resilience in the face of adversity presented by oppression, prevailing narratives of progress, patriarchal structures, and the grip of capitalism."
Esther Palmer is a London-based ceramic artist who graduated with a MA in Ceramics & Glass from Royal College of Art in 2023.