Exhibition Details

Carpenters Workshop Gallery is pleased to be representing the first UK solo exhibition of the works of celebrated British ceramicist Gareth Mason in collaboration with Jason Jacques Gallery. The exhibition, titled Seeing Things highlights how Mason embraces clay’s nuanced individuality whilst never ignoring the material’s universality. 
Seeing Things showcases 24 never-before-seen works created in the past two years. The works are made from clay and foreign objects, challenging porcelain’s immaculate history by pushing the boundaries of the medium’s course. The artist’s elaborate process consists of throwing the pieces by hand, altering the form through firing and glazing, and adding unexpected materials of detritus such as glass, metal and shards of pottery. In doing so, the artist elevates the flotsam by making a case for their aesthetic value. The result is an avant-garde collection of works richly layered in texture, colour, and form.
Gareth Mason states “I make no great claims as a ‘seer’, but ceramics is an arena of extravagant observation for me. Its textures and colours – its sheer transformative ‘phenomena’ – had me from the get-go. Long have people venerated aspects of the world that entrance the eye and the senses. We are sensual beings after all.”
Mason is inspired by a desire to capture the dynamic nature of creation, the emotive power of materials, and their transformation through fire. The artist does not envision a completed and final result when creating these works, as a surprise is a key element within his creative process. The carefully wrought and disaster-strewn surfaces are fruits of past 'failure', whilst every sense of drama and stress that the pots may convey foreshadows a future narrative, enabling a sense of excitement and intrigue within the viewer.
Loïc Le Gaillard, co-founder of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, comments “We are thrilled to show Gareth Mason at our Ladbroke Hall gallery space. His ceramics are captivating and continue to transcend the art of making through his exploratory use of clay, glazes and materials.”