Abigail Schama’s work is the result of reflection and devoted dialogue between her and the clay, and that of the different clay bodies themselves. Having constantly recycled her clay, every bit is invariably imbued with a sense of a past life and energy which Abigail draws from when creating new forms.

“The starting point of my work is rupture. I make things by hand and it’s
important for the object to show the hand and the humanity and the fault lines
that are an essential characteristic of that process.”

 Schama’s deliberate coupling of clays and forms stand to mirror how two individuals interconnect whilst remaining separate beings. By drawing on their surface, Schama hopes “to draw a strength that is more from the breast and the belly, places of bearing. I see their power as deriving from their woundedness. I’m not afraid to display that, and to wear it on the skin –the drawing is really a tattoo– like a fingerprint, a permanent mark.” A testament to that which has been experienced.

A selection of Abigail's powerful work is now available in the Gallery and Online. Click here to see her new collection of work.

“The caryatids are bearers of power as well as burdens, and I wanted to convey both their durability and their vulnerability, their functional and extra-functional qualities.

These are flawed or wounded deities with distinctly human characteristics. I’m working along a spectrum rather than with a binary.”