Xanthe Summers weaves the theme of labor and visibility of bold ceramic ships – Huge
“Clay is an incredible medium,” says Xanthe Summers. He turns to medium to explore themes surrounding homes, crafts and so-called “women’s works” such as cleaning, tinkering, handling textiles and care. When it comes to Clay, she said, “I think my ability to hold water, keep function, impart shape, carry story and carry meaning to make me energize.”
Currently in London and growing up in Zimbabwe, Summers observed in social structures that reflect inequality in social structures in many parts of the world, especially in gendered labor in the domestic sphere, which are often largely invisible and unignited.
“Many houses have cleaners and gardeners in this “invisible” framework: caring for children, cooking, sometimes traveling for hours – and their jobs are underrated, underrated and considered unskilled.”
Ceramics, especially prototype container patterns, are attacked in the summer to join the ever-evolving continuum of the medium. Throughout thousands of years and countless different cultures, soil materials have been found in endless applications in homes, industries and art.
“Clay has a unique ability to cross the boundaries between function, art, craft, class and culture, so it is an important medium for having stories about humans,” she said. “I know Clay is the archive of stories about humans.”
Often with proportional proportions, these containers stand high on the base, showing saturated tones, bold patterns and tactile textures. Some of the fragments frowned, especially facing upwards, as if they were hit by something or were trapped under some invisible weight.
The artist’s ships step on the boundary between form and function and delve into another craft related to women’s labor: weaving. She described everything from the sheets we slept on to the carpet we stomped on to the clothes on our backs. She added:
Weaving can be used as a broader metaphor for social cohesion, or as lacking. This dilemma is important in Zimbabwe, but it is clear that women’s work is underestimated worldwide.
Next year, Summers will head to the residence of Guadalajara in Mexico in Ceramica Suro, where she will learn from local ceramic artists, glass glasses and weavers. In October this year, you will be able to see her work in London 1-54, a dedicated fairness dedicated to contemporary African art that takes place from October 16 to 19. Explore more on the artist’s website and on Instagram.
