GALLERY 2
THREADS OF MEMORY
ILONA TOPOLCSANYI
Threads of Memory represents a fine, unbroken line that weaves its way through several generations of Hungarian women into the personal history of Australian born ceramic artist Ilona Topolcsanyi.
A direct reflection of the struggle to reconcile her own needs and desires with that of the traditions and expectations, these sensuous, ‘petrified’ tapestries embody the distortions and contradictions the artist believes are key aspects of contemporary femininity. There is a tangible tension between figuration and abstraction where we observe the breaking of the body, cutting of the skin, a difficult merge of old and new. Informed by Hungarian embroidery, these ‘clay bodies’ highlight the ceramic process with textures, tones, fractures and ruptures.
