Lia Tajcnar at CraftACT

Lia was an MPhil graduate (in Ceramics, obviously) in 2006. This piece (from the ‘Nudibranch series’, mid-fire porcelain, 2006, photo by ANU photography) is characteristic of the work she did in the program, and is currently in the border, an exhibition at CraftACT. Lia gives the following account of her motivation in works such as this:

Aesthetically, the visual inspirations for the work are natural forms including plants, coral and sea creatures. This work does not set out to replicate the specifics of particular organic forms but seeks to capitalize on the strange, complex, richly patterned and brightly coloured beauty of the natural world. That said, there are elements of the work that are often confused with actual organic things, and in this way act as a kind of mimesis or an imitation of nature. This creates confusion between representations and the real.

The nudibranch or sea slug is a delightfully strange and weird looking thing. I am drawn to its flamboyance and extravagance – why is a sea slug so ornate? It seems like a fine thing to try to combine with an object that alludes to function in that it acts as a setting off point between the understandable reality of a functional object (vase) and something beyond easy understanding –the animate and inanimate together.