The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 2 July 2014

Focus: Emerging
PROFILE:
Thomas Quayle
My work seeks to delve into human experience
and emotion and examine not only what it
means to be human but also how we see the
humanity of others. I often explore the idea of
the human as an objed, an idea that is best
suited to three-dimensional work. Utilising the
gaze, I attempt to play on the empathy of the
audience by reconstructing scenarios, often
violent or sad, to evoke an emotional response
for the human-looking object. The reason
for this is to create feelings of concern and a
need for adion that contrast with a feeling of
powerlessness and an inability to ad.
Inspiration for my work stems from my
experiences as an openly homosexual teen . My
work represents my experiences of ostracism,
confusion, depression and fear. I use my art to
conned to the audience not only through the
familiarity of the human form but also through
the common emotional experience. Although
my works are not cheerful renditions of happy
figures, they are made to stand as a comforting
reminder that we are all connected through the
pain of feeling alone.
www.thomasquayle.com
Thomas Quayle, In Desperate Need, 20 14
h.80cm, w.35cm, d.26cm; photo: courtesy artist
THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2014 57