‘Cool Drinks, Warm Breeze’
17 June - 4 July 2021
Lilac City Studio, Darlinghurst
The càntir is a folk vessel, a water-pitcher from Catalonia (it is also found across Spain with a variety of names). When in the shade on a hot day, its unglazed
and porous clay facilitates evaporative cooling of the water contained within, as hot air passes through. The decorative, glazed, surface of these pieces depict
images, both real and imagined, of common souvenir tropes: vistas, signage, friendly phrases and characters. Some of these are found, collected from holidays
visiting my family. Others include graphic designs from the archive of my Avi’s (grandfather’s) business in Barcelona, using his logo and surname.
The resulting pieces are intended as sort-of souvenirs of my experience of my mother’s culture, which become emblems of feeling like an outsider from within.
I intend to explore and question the nostalgia these folk pieces can evoke, in both their relationship to traditional craft practice, and as signifiers of my Catalan
heritage. Each piece can be seen as a series of soft-focus memories embodied in the rustic object; something a tourist cherishes as they reflect on a distant
holiday; longing for a remote sunset, sipping a cool drink and enjoying the warm breeze.
Flyer: Cameron Skelton
Flyer photo: Robin Hearfield
Show Documentation: Document Photography
I acknowledge the Gadigal, Dharug and Gundungurra people as the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands across which I live, work and learn, and pay my
respects to their Elders, past and present.