The show sees Luke continue his process driven exploration of the ceramic vessel through intriguing experiments into colour, texture and form. Made in the context of the ongoing pandemic and NSW lockdown, the exhibition sees Luke embrace the limitations of working within his home studio to create a multitude of small scale alluring vessels.
Approaching making in a playful manner his sculptures incorporate a combination of throwing on the potter’s wheel, coiled hand building and haphazard slip cast additions. While referencing the utilitarian language embedded in the history of ceramics the work remains formally and functionally ambiguous.
Conceptually his practice plays to notions of queer adversity, to celebrating scars and dissociating enhancement from conventional ideals of perfection. His work has been exhibited across Australia as well as recent international shows in New Zealand & Germany.

“Something that I’ve wanted to explore within my practice, presenting something that is misshapen and maybe not as traditionally functional but that is still beautiful, to me is representative of the queer experience. These pieces are these things that sit very much outside what ceramics should be, or what people’s ideas of what ceramics should be. And that is what it’s like growing up queer sometimes. Art was always my refuge, growing up in such a rural area. It was my ticket to living an interesting life.”

Melt, Drip, Lustre, the exhibition presents playful sculptural objects, made using traditional techniques of cermaics like wheel throwing, slip casting and hand coiling and embellished with eye catching glazes mimicking semi precious gems. Conceptually his practice plays to notions of queer adversity, to celebrating scars and dissociating enhancement from conventional ideals of perfection. His work has been exhibited across Australia as well as recent international shows in New Zealand & Germany.

Luke Ryan O’Connor in his Sydney studio Camera & Editing © STEM Media