Flowers of the Night by Lynda Draper at Sullivan + Strumpf
Appearing to emerge from the innerworkings of a complex dream, Lynda Draper constructs otherworldly ceramic sculptures for Flowers of the Night.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Courtesy of Sullivan + Strumpf
Angels Trumpet by Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
‘The process of creating these artworks may be my way of attempting to master reality through fantasy,’ says Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
Almost like faces pulled from the depth of the ocean, sculptures appear to float as though seaweed or coral structures dancing through the pull of the current; a hint of a smile or beady eyes balanced on the fragile ceramic stems. Ununiform and organic, they reveal the sculptor’s hand, reaching out into a dreamlike state, pearly white and pastel pink; the skeletal ceramics are unlike anything we’ve seen in real life.
Titled Flowers of the Night, the exhibition is Lynda Draper’s first Sydney solo since 2013 and her first at Sullivan + Strumpf since her recent signing with the commercial gallery. The Illawarra-based artist brings her whimsical earthenware sculptures to Zetland and online for a covid-lockdown audience.
Presenting eight large ceramic sculptures and a series of wall pieces, Draper shares that the works evolved organically and intuitively. Aiming to invite imagination and the contemplation of ‘some kind of other realm’, the ceramics represent the artist’s deep fascination with the space between dreams and reality; the metaphysical.
Described as 3D clay drawings, Draper’s works muse on a world that emerges to her in the quiet pre-dawn hours as the artist explores the day’s early darkness. ‘The world seems a different place, dreamlike, there is a sense of an ancient past,’ shares the artist. ‘Trees and structures are transformed; it’s silent except for the sounds of nature, the occasional wildlife encounter, hopefully never the legendary black panther.’
‘I usually start the day with an hour’s walk in the darkness, such a magical time, quiet and dreamlike. These night wanderings are when I process ideas; they were also a source of inspiration for Flowers of the Night,’ says Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
“My work explores the intersection between dreams and reality. Many works evolve from a state of reverie; I’m a huge advocate of daydreaming. ”
Flowers of the Night by Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
Dracaena by Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
The colours of her works are the ones she sees thread through the vistas of her early morning wanderings, ‘where the shapes of things are cloaked in darkness’ — pearlescent moonlight and streetlight, pitch darkness, and the creeping distant pink dawn. ‘They are quite anthropomorphic; the collaging of coloured ceramic pieces onto the skeletal constructions seems to give them life,’ Draper adds.
Working occasionally from preliminary sketches, but mostly reaching straight for her clay, Draper finds her most successful works evolve organically. She describes, ‘often from a state of reverie, from the subconscious, musings leading to my hands to make marks, form clay structures or reassemble fired components.’
Utilising many different clays and glazes to arrive at the final work, Draper uses a combination of pinching and coiling hand-building techniques, but allowing for options and mishaps that can inform the piece.
‘Multiple firings almost always occur, often I build works as separate components and attaching them after firing; I find this gives an additional freedom to the creative process –sometimes, I will put pieces away for a couple of months and revisit and experiment with various scenarios with fresh eyes.’
Flowers of the Night’s surrealist sculptures are ultimately left open for the viewer to enter through their own fantasy world. For Draper, it’s the world between sleep and reality, shaped by fragmented images from my environment, memory, culture, and ghosts from the past.
‘I am interested in the relationship between the mind and material world and the related phenomenon of the metaphysical. Creating art is a way of attempting to bridge the gap between these worlds,’ says Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
“The sculptures for the exhibition were shaped by fragmented images from my environment, memory, culture and ghosts from the past. ”
Moon Song by Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
Seraph by Lynda Draper. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf.
VISIT
FLOWERS OF THE NIGHT AT SULLIVAN + STRUMPF
Virtual Exhibition From 15th July