The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 50 no 1 April 2011

Focus: Ceramics + Body
Juz Kitson, Born Uke this. Born out of tha t, 2010, Southern Ice porcelain, wax, flocking; photo: Brett East
Opposite page: Juz Kitson, Thoughts filled with you, 2010. Southern Ice porcelain, lace. 1300"( oxidation
h.60cm. w.49cm , d.22cm; photo: Jennifer leahy, silversalt
thick gloss of glaze. the crystalised surface ignites an inviting presence. much different to that of the
rotting carcass. I'm fascinated with aesthetic judgement and taste. where one finds beauty through
contemplation in this world."
The majority of Kitson's recent exhibition comprised small porcelain pieces that suggest the seductive
aspects of the human body - flesh, female genitalia and the soft pink of the heart muscle. The viewer is
unsure if they are looking at the mechanical workings of the aorta and ventricle or a shell or a vagina.
They are all and none of these corporeal body parts. The smooth reflective glaze of her porcelain is
alluring; some pieces are flocked and others have wax and hair extruding from them.
Kitson's re-worked natural objects arouse fear and curiosity in us. They are comments on the
aesthetics of taste. They linger in our memory long after we have left the exhibition. which is exactly the
power of the wunderkammer. Wonder. in us, has been activated. They are strange souvenirs of things
we only half remember. As US academic Susan Stewart says. "The souvenir involves the displacement
of attention into the past. The souvenir is not simply an object appearing out of context, an object from
the past incongruously surviving the present; rather, its function is to envelop the present within the
past. "
Juz Kitson
21 October - 13 November 2010
www.flindersstreetgallery.com
Prue Gibson is a freelance writer. See more page 3.
24 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL 2011