One on its Own or Together as a Whole

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Brianne Siu is a Vancouver-based ceramic artist finishing her four-month residency at Nanaimo Ceramic Arts Studio and Gallery. On April 28th, Brianne will present her solo exhibition featuring a new body of work, "One on its Own or Together as a Whole." Centred on the theme of "play," Brianne uses coloured slips and clay to add a playful-like quality to her functional pieces.   Brianne started her time in Nanaimo coming from a year-long residency at Medalt's International Artist-in-residency program, where she created a new set of moulds that allowed her to repeat stacking forms and explore the multitudes of variation allowed through changing coloured handles and surface decoration. Thankfully, this opportunity in Nanaimo allowed her to effectively explore the new moulds and create a body of work focused on functionality. Nanaimo Ceramic Arts is a business-focused residency with owner and mentor Bronwyn Arundel; Brianne believes that it is an excellent opportunity for the development of her functional work and to learn how to successfully run her own small business.   "Clay is where I can freely express myself and play around with the colours," she revealed, "it's like being able to create like I was a child again." Her work is not only playful and colourful, she also hopes it will brighten up your day and bring a smile to your face when using her pieces.   Although only living in Nanaimo for a short period of time, Brianne felt a sense of community from the moment she started her residency. Mirroring the title of this exhibition, this wonderful space has many individual artists coming together to form this wonderful clay community at Nanaimo Ceramic Arts. This may be an exhibition signalling the end of her residency, but Brianne believes that this is just a continuation of the development of her work for the future. Don't forget to catch the opening of this show at Nanaimo Ceramic Arts Gallery on April 28th, 2023 from 6-8pm at 140 Wallace St. The show will be open until May 16th, 2023 during regular hours.