Now available at CAA gallery and online, Zoe Hillyard's enchanting patchwork ceramic vessels are a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Japanese tradition of kintsugi. Informed by wabi-sabi, the ethos of accepting transcience and imperfection, Hillyard gives a new life to discarded and broken ceramics. Each shard is covered in reclaimed textiles, then painstakingly reassembled and stitched together to breathe new life into the original object. Merging the traditional crafts of patchwork quilting with the Japanese technique of kintsugi, in which broken ceramics are mended using gold laquer, she creates objects which are both spontaneous and carefully crafted.
In an age of disposability, Hillyard's bowls and vases are a much-needed reminder of the beauty to be found in imperfection. Rather than making it unusable, the pot's breakage becomes merely the next chapter in its story. Each pot brings its own individual story to its new home. Her works have an intuitive quality to them in, the effortless patchwork of colours and vintage silk making each piece unique. Contemporary yet traditional, these handmade objects embrace their flaws and the act of mending. Something broken is reimagined as an artwork to be treasured for years to come.
Zoe Hillyard is based in her studio in Birmingham, United Kingdom and has exhibited internationally. See more of her work here.
