Southern Guild
29.08 - 07.11.2024
Three striking clay vessels, each a metre tall, command attention within the crisp, white walls of Southern Guild’s gallery space. Draped in bold shades of red, yellow, green and pearlescent slate grey. Xanthe Somers’ sculptures exude a powerful presence, elevated further by their proud exhibition on large central plinths. Assertive, resolute and engaging are three words immediately brought to mind. As an artist and sculptor, it might seem unnecessary to emphasise the commanding presence of Somers’ work. Yet, this observation, I believe lies at the core of her exhibition, Invisible Hand. Here, Somers boldly challenges traditional notions of craft, confronting the historically diminished value placed on creative expressions often tied to women and the domestic realm.
Somers is a rising star in the expanding realm of sculptural ceramics. She populates her oeuvre with large-scale, vibrant vessels that frequently call into question the role of the object in defining aesthetic values. She was born in Zimbabwe in 1992 and studied Post-Colonial Theory at Goldsmiths University in London. Her three vessels that make up Invisible Hand, become an embodiment of these layered life experiences. They invite a deeper contemplation of our collective preconceptions towards objects and craft, challenging the notion that these creations are somehow lesser than and should be relegated to the periphery of a Western art historical canon that has long exalted ‘fine art’ above all else.
Invisible Hand, 2024. Photography courtesy of Hayden Phipps and Southern Guild.
Tales Untold, Of Woof and Woe and The Weary Weaver, are each crafted from clay. This humble material, the very substance of the land beneath our feet, is often regarded as the most ordinary of elements. Clay has historically carried profound associations with objects, often eclipsing its relationship with sculpture, which we more readily embrace as a facet of fine art. These objects often share in the common associations of functionality, utility, and domesticity. As Caitlin MacDonald eloquently notes in her introductory essay to the newly published, Clay Formes: Contemporary Clay from South Africa, ‘The most rudimentary gestures of world-making begin with a fistful of clay. From this raw substance, we have constructed shelter, crafted vessels for nourishment, fashioned idols, vases, currencies, and inscribed our laws and myths upon its surfaces.’
Xanthe Somers, Of Woof and Woe, 2024. Photography courtesy of Hayden Phipps and Southern Guild.
Their materiality therefore evokes an essence of the mundane, an essence that is brought to light further by Somers’ engagement with the ancient practice of weaving. Each vessel stands to magnificent proportions, comprised of numerous interwoven threads of ceramic pieces. Tales Untold and Of Woof and Woe notably toy with the embodiment of both woven basket and ceramic vase, as layers of delicate, fired clay pieces intertwine to create a form that appears both supple and rigid, uncompromising in its materiality yet simultaneously reminiscent of the fluidity of plaited fibres. Weaving, much like ceramics, grapples with the prevailing preconception that the objects it creates manifest an aesthetic value often regarded as inferior. Throughout the ages, weaving has often been relegated as a feminine pastime, often dismissed as mere craft rather than celebrated as a true expression of creative brilliance. It is used for anonymously stitching dresses, mending tablecloths, and creating baskets – each act rooted in functionality rather than the supposed exaltation of artistic vision. Somers consolidates the questioning of this concept by noting the reference of the baTonga women of her native Zimbabwe as a direct influence for her thought-provoking sculptures. Renowned for their tradition of basket weaving, these women have passed down this practice through generations, each thread woven with the weight of ancestral history and the hands of countless women before them.
XantheSomers, The Weary Weaver, 2024. Photography courtesy of Hayden Phipps and Southern Guild.
Despite, or perhaps because of both their materiality and process of making, Somers invites an engagement with these works that both honours this essence and questions the preconceptions that surround them. Each of these works has been created to monumental proportions; their necks extend to that of around a metre and their bodies confidently swell into space. It’s only natural to marvel, therefore, at the skill required to achieve such a feat. From cutting and shaping the clay, to weaving and building it, each piece has undergone a diligent transformation, which is the result of delicate control and an in-depth understanding of the material. Their oversized scale not only prompts a nod of respect to their maker but alongside their bold and inviting palette, encourages a playful engagement that stands in stark contrast to any immediate preconceptions of the mundane and domestic realms often associated with ceramics and woven forms.
‘Playful’ is a dangerous adjective to adopt in art-talk. It implies a naïve, child-like quality to an artist’s work that could therefore assume a lack of consideration behind their practice. This is far from how I view Somers’ work. On the contrary, Somers wields the notion of play as an intended weapon for deeper inquiry and reimagining. Through their expansive scale, brazen colour scheme, and unapologetic presence, these three sculptures not only demand recognition but reclaim the space from which their essence is often marginalised. They invite deeper reflection and afford an appreciation to those who craft woven and ceramic forms – namely women and the ‘invisible hands’ sitting behind the loom or potter’s wheel.
