Kasia Piech’s explorations in ceramics evoke a sense of whimsy and darkness in equal measure. I first encountered her work in an unusual way, through a commissioned series of tap handles she created for a small craft brewery in Sudbury. Although friendly in size and colour, I couldn’t help but think these utilitarian pieces may also have been a depiction of an EVA gone terribly wrong, a hardened-clay lament for Major Tom himself, his body slightly distorted by the vacuum of space.

Further discovery of her work sent me down similar split paths. Animals at Play bring to mind joyous laughter as they roll in the grass with a discarded tire… until you begin to question whether the plaything is actually strangling them the way discarded plastics entangle other animals in real life. Similarly I Love You to Death poses uneasy questions about human nature’s unhealthy addiction to material possessions.

The figures Kasia creates remind us that life is complex, that truth relies on context, and that questioning that context is a way to escape the maelstrom of ambiguity that can often lie on the surface of everyday discourse. Take that, Donald.

“Artists have the ability to comment on the society in which they live. The intent in the work is to play with certain societal themes: religion, morals, ideals, humor, beauty, and the grotesque are a few.

The work that I create is ceramic, which in some cases is visually abject as a result of their surface qualities; the skin or glaze could be viewed as grotesque or cold; I have been using products restricted to North American to create the glazes: sugar, cookies, and candy, for example is used for the skin or glaze; commenting on the sugar addiction that is taking place all around the world. In other cases with the use of transfers on the work, makes the work feel bright and cheerful. I sometimes use found objects, which acts as a catalyst or a starting point for the viewer.

A series of work focused on researching historical religious female figures, a series of women of power in the Roman Catholic Faith the first of which is Salome and the second is Mary Magdalene.

Recently the focus of work is play, the world is shifting again, the new buzz words are mindfulness and self-care. The conversation around one’s gifts and everyone has a gift to contribute to society; through the mindfulness of play one will get closer to the true self and the practice of self-care and hence the discovery of one’s gifts.”

~ Posted by Mark Walton