freezing the imaginary

Strange Clay Exhibition at the Hayward Gallery

Hey Art lovers, what do you think of art made of clay? We tend to underestimate it a bit, thinking of evening pottery classes, don't we? But here I am, in the wonderfully arty strange land. And this strange land is made out of clay. Aha, and you are coming with me.

I am being welcomed by the candy-like totems worshipping hedonism of the clubbing culture; however, you may have a different interpretation (by Jonathan Baldock). These playful pieces contrast nicely with the raw concrete of the brutalist-style Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre. And right since this moment, I have been guided from one fantastic microcosm to another, from story to story, all different in forms and narratives, yet each connected by their very substance, clay.

This fun, versatile exhibition proves that clay, a material used since ancient times, can still be shaped into contemporary forms and encapsulate modern narratives. And tell

... a tender story represents consumption and fragility of life - by thousands of objects captured in the white porcelain, adjacent to walls and piling on the floor. The piece was inspired by the plane crash in China, after which toys and random objects were seen floating in the sky right to the sea. (by Liu Jianhua)

- a story of natural wonders, like the huge, hypernatural squid lying in its black ink. The creature we know exists in nature only by seeing its remains, as it was never spotted alive. Apparently. (by David Zink Yi)

Or the apocalyptical rooms that hit straight to the 90s/00s nostalgia, yet taken over by insects and rodents. I can't stop staring at mice battles, and rat feasts on tacky sofas or outdated kitchens—the number of details, references, and witty humour just made me laugh out loud. (by Linsday Mendick)

These may have been my highlights, but the exhibition immerses me in versatile environments in style, forms and meaning. One of the artists involved, Salvatore Arancio, claims that while photograph freezes reality, ceramic is freezing the imaginary. And indeed, the exhibition took me to 23 different imaginary worlds; the worlds that are strange, hypnotishing very contemporary.