In the waters of her memories, Marissa Alexander finds calmness and an acceptance of change that bears a physical form in her most recent body of work, swim with me. Intensely decorated, these coil-built forms flow in three dimensions; expanding and contracting as figures and patterns spread around the vessels without beginning or end. Through the uncertainty and constant change of this time, she is drawn to the large bodies of water where she used to swim. Floating, gliding through the water, brings a sense of calm and an understanding that like water, our world is ever changing, requiring resilience and adaptability.
In building her coil pots, Marissa builds memory and narrative that flow around her forms. Decorating in bold colours and patterns, her works demonstrate her design sense in the bathing suits, patterning, and hair styles that bring the vessels to life and reflect her love of beauty and fashion. Working around each vessel, Marissa bridges the history of ceramics with her own vision, as she states, “vision as something of great beauty – vision as envisioning contemporary life.”
Written by Peter Flannery
i dreamt i swam with you, hand-built white stoneware and various glazes, fired to cone 5, h - 22.5”, w - 18”, d - ~13.5”, 2020
in flower covered waters, hand-built white stoneware and various glazes, fired to cone 5 , h - 17”, w - 19”, d - ~12”, 2020
warmed by the sun, hand-built white stoneware and various glazes, fired to cone 5, h - 13.5”, w - 21”, d - ~15”, 2020