Iva Polachova Tall calm volcano
Handmade in UK
Dimensions: h31cm x w19cm
Materials: stoneware
Method: Hand build, coiled and crafted and glazed
Care: To clean, dust with a soft cloth and hand wash with a mild soap if needed. All vessels should be water tight, however stoneware can “sweat “sometimes. Always test before putting straight on wooden surfaces the first time.
Description:
This vessel is coated with a smooth opaque satin white glaze, where speckles of iron and ochre toned marks from the underlying clay show through the glaze. In ceramics the effect where the glaze thins and the marks on the surface below emerge is called ‘breaking,’ this is also how we refer to waves in the sea when they have reached their crest.
The marks on the surface of this vessel embody the energy of making. Polachova combs the surface of the clay leaving traces of a horizontal rhythm running around the vessel. These marks on the clay surface have a soothing quality, they evoke healing practices of body combing or brush therapies. These touches are what make the pieces precious. Like the esteemed artist Agnes Martin who attained peace of mind in her rhythms of line, we can find calm on the surface of this piece.
Iva Polachova finds tranquil compositions referential of Brancusi’s wonderous carvings and elemental forms, exemplified here in this vessel shaped like a tear drop with a round spherical bottom lofting to a subtly elliptical opening.
This work is completely unique and sculptural but also water tight.
About the Artist
Iva Polachova is a ceramicist based in London specialising in fluid and tactile tableware and decorative vessels in a limited palette. Iva takes inspiration from Constantin Brancusi’s notion of the essential in art and Paul Klee’s belief that the artist distils from nature. She likes working with unglazed porcelain because of the strength that its sensuous and fragile appearance belies, but she also works with a variety of clays, from the refined to the coarse. Pieces are dipped in white matt or shiny glazes. The use of white is integral to Iva’s practice as it reveals the clay, whilst simultaneously covering it, and emphasizes the form and texture of her pieces. Her gently textured surfaces are created using simple ceramic tools, such as a scraper and rasp blades which are left visible to attest to their maker’s hand. Iva’s prioritization of the creative process and rhythm of making results in pieces that are imbued with a sense of balance, clarity and stillness.
