Susannah Montague: The Apparition
/April 11 - 26
Opening Reception: April 11, 5-7 PM
Artist in Attendace
Immortelle - 47 x 58 x 15 inches - ceramic, glaze, various lustres, transfer-ware, wood, epoxy - $ 75,000
Susannah Montague’s work undertakes a radical rethinking of the traditions of classical porcelain, reveling in the exquisite delicacy of the material while exploring its history of ritual, reverence and commerce. Porcelain emerged as a western status symbol during the explosion of trade in the Renaissance, a period that also ushered in the spiritual questioning, exploding globalism, and ambitious empire-building that continue to be powerful influences today – all forces at work in Montegue’s world. Her sculptures deliver a dazzling range of technique, depth of symbolism, storytelling and social commentary.
Montague’s early training in sculpture branched into the study of anatomy, which in turn led to work making props and sculptures for the film industry. Look closely at one of her pieces and you might see both the Messein figures collected by your grandmother and the uncanny transformations of a body horror film. She adds to this a passion for melding art and life: a delicate formation of barnacles on one work comes from her studio on Bowen island, where curiosity moved her to sink sculptures underwater in crab traps for weeks at a time allowing nature to contribute to the composition.
Apparition - 30 x 16 x 15 inhes - Ceramic, Glazes, Platinum and Gold lustre, antique ready-made figurines - $ 20,000
Childhood years in Catholic school sparked a fascination with mythology, but also a feminist resistance to restrictions placed on women’s bodies in the name of religion. Her experience as a mother of twins contributed images of blastocysts, fetuses and breasts that bring to mind both the wonder and alien transformation of a first pregnancy. Her intense attention to lifelike detail recalls the once-controversial anatomical drawings of scientist-artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Andreas Vesalius. Like those innovators, Montague is unafraid to break taboos in pursuit of revelation.
Curious viewers are invited to look closer, encountering (in Montague’s words) “a precarious balance … between life and death, creation and destruction, innocence and corruption.” An articulate and prolific creator, Montague has attracted the attention of influential podcasters and publications, developing an ardent following and exhibiting her work both locally and internationally. Key to her success is the mastery of her craft allows her to use beauty as a tool for asking challenging questions.
Moth Boy - 21.5 x 27.5 x 3 inhes - ceramic, repurposed distillied spirit bottles
Montague has chosen the title Apparition for this exhibition, a word associated with hauntings and miracles, especially those that may be as much a product of our dreams and fears as anything truly supernatural. Apparitions often represent a change or metamorphosis which for Montague allows her sculptures to intersect with the intangible and tangible. Described with words like surreal, psychedelic, or baroque, the stories that grow organically out of Montague’s works are ultimately comments on contemporary life.
SUSANNAH MONTAGUE - Siren Song - 29.5 x 24.5 x 16 - $ 25,000
In a time where we are obsessively connected to messaging from the world around us, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of images we must navigate each day. Key to Montague’s talent for addressing our common fear of change is her ability to draw coherence out of chaos. In Apparition, paradoxical lifeforms dissolve, transform, and mutate like memories, or, as Montague states more eloquently, “life, death, and renewal become a single entity.” The result is a powerful experience of catharsis – inquiring and seducing, provoking and beguiling.
