Upcoming

Sabbia presents our annual Masters of Ceramics exhibition series, acknowledging the mentorship and shared knowledge that ceramists work within. A fairly solitary existence, ceramists often find themselves working in their studios quietly without any feedback from other artists whose opinions matter, and at their heart they are alchemists that push the confines of clay and glazes. Each work with the material different ways, highlighting the ability that clay has to be re-imagined in the hands of the artist. There is one subject matter that all the artists in L’uomo have been heavily influenced by, and that is the landscape – whether in country NSW, Tasmania & Coledale, the Adelaide Hills or Ernabella, each brings a distinct personal style that connects with how they see their world. We are pleased to bring together this group of artists who create such strong work that resonates with our audience and shows the depth of Australian ceramic artists.

Click here for more information

This exhibition brings together artists from the Hermannsburg region – working in both ceramics and painting. Both hailing from different art centres, the artists use their experience within the landscape to inform their work, whether it be in ceramics or on paper, drawing on the rich colours of the area. The landscape, flora and fauna, as well as the history of the region feature prominently in each artwork, having been made famous by the region’s best-known artist Albert Namatjirra. Iltja Ntjarra Art Centre has a special focus on supporting the ‘Hermannsburg School’ style watercolour artists, who continue to paint in the tradition of their grandfather and relative, Albert Namatjira, arguably one of Australia’s most famous artists of the 20th century. Albert Namatjira taught his children to follow in his unique style, who have since passed this knowledge on to their children, which has resonated in a legacy of watercolour artists in the Central Desert region. Both the Hermmansburg Potters and Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre are proudly Aboriginal owned and directed, and have contributed to keeping the areas rich history and strong connection to Country alive for future generations. The Western Aranda community of Ntaria (Hermannsburg) is based at the remote foothills of the stunning Western MacDonnell ranges, 130 kilometres west of Alice Springs, Central Australia. The township itself is the home of approximately 700 people, and the hub for 37 regional outstations, or ‘homelands.’ Many people from this area live and work in Alice Springs and access the Many Hands Art Centre as a touch point to their community.

Click here for more information

In over 40 years as a full time practising ceramic artist, the Australian landscape has never ceased to inspire and fascinate Pippin Drysdale. For the Breakaway exhibition, she wanted to create a visual response to the topography of chasms, gorges, gaps and cavities created over millions of years. This collection represents the spine of our landscape, the cliffs, caves and ecosystems that play a unique role within nature’s maps; succour offering shelter, water and food; and points of surveillance and safety. Inspired initially by the compelling formations in the Karlu Karlu Conservation Reserve near Katherine in the Northern Territory, and walking and camping around the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley, the works resonate with both a deep respect for the profound physical beauty of the landscape and the sacred connection to country, stories and cultural life of Australia’s First Nations People. Pippin saw in the natural process of the weathering and erosion that shapes, scars, and colours those spectacular natural wonders create, with the challenge to create drawings of layered colours around ceramic forms. She has long understood that landscape is not just about the physical form, and over time has tried, using colour and pattern, to describe the effect of light changing hues over the passing of time from sunrise to sunset, and season to season. In ‘Breakaway’, Pippin has sought to capture the vastness of the Australian sky and the effects of differing weather patterns. The sky is where the earth and the universe meet and whether it is a cloudless cerulean blue or dark or the grey and purple of a looming storm, its luminous, lustrous magnificence is all-encompassing. Maggie Baxter is an artist, curator, and writer who lives and works in Western Australia

Click here for more information

Maintaining my connection to the natural world seems as important as ever but perhaps with a new kind of urgency attached. I am moved and inspired by forces in nature that are quiet and gentle, powerful and profound. I am looking at the surface of things again. Skin. A familiar looking, coming in close – bark, lichen, moss - but a different focus. I’m drawn to patterns and rhythms and what it is they tell. How does a skin describe a life lived? It holds an expression of growth and of ageing. It is a barrier and a story.

Click here for more information

Click here for more information

In making this new body of work I focus on the remarkable plants and landscape of Wollemi National Park, a remote wilderness area west of Sydney and sadly last summer, the centre of Australia’s largest ever bushfire. The aim through the exploration of ceramic materials, surface and form is to express my innate affinity and connection to the natural world. Cathy Franzi, 2020

Click here for more information