Congratulations to Yhonnie Scarce who was announced as the Winner of the 2018 Indigenous Ceramic Award by Shepparton Art Museum. The $20,000 acquisitive Award is the most prestigious national award for Indigenous ceramics, showcasing new and exciting developments in the field.
Scarce’s ‘Servant and Slave’ was chosen by judges Stephen Gilchrist, Associate Lecturer of Indigenous Art, University of Sydney; Genevieve Grieves, Manager, First Peoples Department at Museums Victoria; and Dr Rebecca Coates, Director, Shepparton Art Museum for the way it speaks to difficult histories with a delicacy and resolved sophistication of language and material. In the work Scarce rethinks the traditions of fine porcelain and tea. Her broken and intentionally fragmented porcelain cups appear inhabited or co-opted by a series of black glass forms. She invites us to reflect on past oppressions and lived experiences from her own family.
Scarce’s winning work, and that of all the finalists, will be on display at SAM from 25 August to 11 November 2018.