With work in permanent collections all over the world and a steady stream of solo and group shows internationally since 1974, Deirdre McLoughlin’s art is instantly recognisable.Working almost exclusively with ceramics using a traditional coiling method, Deirdre’s sculptures seem to embody both unapologetic strength and a sort of tenderness of form.Moving to Amsterdam in the early 1970’s she began working in clay inspired by the sculptures of Rosemary Andrews. Finding form in this medium she would eventually come to the realization that the shapes she was making were a language of expression and were what was generally termed art. Up until then she had been unable to answer the continuing question, ‘why do you not make something useful’. The realisation brought her to Japan where she set up studio and worked alongside the artists of the Sodeisha Group. The sculptures of Yasuo Hayashi, in their sublime geometry, have had a lasting influence on her. After her first solo exhibition in Kyoto she travelled throughout China, which was opening up. In 1988 she returned to Amsterdam where she now based.
The archetypal form, the ovoid, is central in Deirdre McLoughlin's work. Imbued with an intense physicality and dedication to perfection of form and surface, her sculptures are layered with meaning, charged with movement, a feeling of power, a sense of purity. ‘I know a work has come to an end when an inner logic reveals itself. Her making process is slow and demanding; her pieces undergo a protracted process of polishing and multiple firings. This can last for days into weeks.The work in an instance feels right.’
△PUSH / 2021 / High fired ceramic / 26×26×23cm
“我所知的一切都在我的作品中；但并非我总能理解自己所知。”
“Everything I know is in my work; I don’t always understand what I know.”
△RED / 2022 / 29×25×24cm(右)
△HOPE / 2022 / 30×20×30cm(左)
△WATERWORK II / 2018 / 35×28×24 cm(右)
“在黏土中探寻形态是我非凡的冒险之旅。在创作的过程中，我深刻地体验着生命的韵律。”
“Finding form in clay is my great adventure. In working I am living deeply.“
内容策划 Content Planning Dinz Lin / 新媒体编辑 Social Media Editor 李薇 Vv Li / 美术编辑 New Media Designer 陈慧 Chen Hui / 文案撰稿 Content Writing 李薇 Vv Li / 翻译 Translation 李薇 Vv Li
视觉设计Design 钉子工作室 Dinz Studio / 陈慧 Chen Hui 陈植贤 Again
特别感谢 Special Thanks Deirdre McLoughlin
