Group Exhibition: Natural FormsSep 22 – 30, 2018
Daylight catches the surface of a Korean moon vase in the window of 99 Crawford Street, the location of Francis Gallery’s inaugural show in Marylebone, London. Across a stretch of oak floorboards, an expansive, circular band of jesmonite lends an open focal point to the room. Behind it, smaller forms, like otherworldly pebbles, line a Georgian mantlepiece. These sculptures, resting at various levels on plinths, tables, and window sills, are by Mari-Ruth Oda, a Japanese-born artist based in Manchester. Her work compels the visitor to move and sense the space around it, as they explore its fluid forms and surfaces.
Works on watercolour paper in Chinese black ink, painted with evocative, abstract brush strokes, are displayed on either side of the gallery. These are original works by Spencer Fung, a Hong Kong-born artist inspired by his deep, personal connections to natural landscapes. Below the paintings, on a wooden block, a handwritten note from Fung explains that one series responds to the peaks of Hong Kong, and another to the rock formations of the Catalonian Pyrenees.
Through an open doorway, a panel of light shimmers on the wall above a group of octagonal cerami vessels, their off-white surfaces illuminated momentarily. Haeinyo, the artistic moniker of Kim Sang-In, created these in his studio on the outskirts of Seoul. From the ephemeral moon jars to the small octagonal tea cups, raised stands, and vessels, all of his ceramic works share a luminous blue tinge. Made from local Korean clay, and inspired by traditional shapes from the Joseon Dynasty, these pieces reflect the traditional Korean aesthetics that inform the gallery’s setting.
The scent of roasted brown rice tea rises from a low table, flanked by two benches. The furniture – made of long planks of ash with walnut butterfly joints – has been custom built for Francis by Fred Rigby. Kim Sang-In’s ceramic cups rest on bespoke coasters; and the tea, produced by Seoul-based Tea Collective, brews gently in Korean tea pots, ready to be shared with the gallery’s visitors. As the day advances, Mari-Ruth Oda’s sculptures cast lengthening shadows across the floors and walls, and the planes of Kim’s ceramics appear to shift in the changing light.
A special thanks to Elliott Smedley for welcoming Francis in to 99 Crawford Street.
Featured Artists
- Mari-Ruth Oda
Oda’s serene, emotive sculptures reflect her fascination with fluid lines and natural forms, in materials such as jesmonite, resin and ceramics. “My work says more than I can with words.”
- Spencer Fung
Fung’s artistic process is characterised by spontaneity and his use of natural materials. “I love to work with the elements I find around me,” he says. “I might use soil for pigment, and water from a lake; I paint instinctively, often starting with a small detail that evolves."
Related exhibitions
Bath GallerySpencer Fung: Hidden LinesSep 24 – Nov 21, 2020
Hidden Lines is a solo show by Spencer Fung, featuring works in earth pigments, charcoal, and graphite on vintage recycled and upcycled cotton rag paper. Working from home, Fung aligned his creative process with the sun, moving around the house throughout the day. “These pieces are of the moment, of the light,” he says. Two smaller works, Resilience and Strength, were created on his desk at dusk, when the light was soft and warm. “I let the materials guide me,” he reveals. “Working with natural pigments is full of surprises – I could not control the bubbly effect. I enjoy the tension between deliberate and accidental. This is the joy of working with natural elements; everything is a one-off.”
Form and Formless is Mari-Ruth Oda’s first solo show for Francis, featuring freestanding and wall-mounted sculptures in jesmonite and ceramic stoneware. Rounded natural forms are abundant in her work, appearing in the shapes of flowers, fruit, seeds, planets and moons. Many of her recent pieces have a quality of turning in on themselves, and exhibit a move towards symmetry. “At the start of 2020, I moved from Manchester to the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales,” says Oda. “The quiet has provided more headspace for me to work. I have been practising meditation too, which helps me to focus on the feeling in my body as I create. I’ve found that when I aim to convey this feeling, symmetrical forms arise, as if the sculptures are reflecting the natural symmetry of the human body.”