From the 17th of October until the 17th of November, XVA Gallery is holding Fragility, a solo exhibition by Pom Mullan. The series of ceramic works which are on display is titled Sea Wonders. Pom Mullan drew her inspiration from diving in the Red Sea in Egypt: she was mesmerised by unusual and delicate underwater flora and fauna of many types and forms.
Being in love with fantastic-looking organic forms growing in the many coral reefs, Mullan pays homage to the marine landscapes. In doing so, she also strives to raise awareness about the particular environmental issue. Such ecological dangers as global warming and water pollution threaten to destroy marine ecosystems, completely wiping colorful reef scapes off the underwater land formations. By portraying corals, the artist reminds us of a significant role these creatures play in the survival of numerous aquatic species and their habitat and how fragile they are.
To create her artworks, Pom Mullan uses a special technique. She blends pure white porcelain with pureed soft bathroom tissue and thus, gets a versatile material that can be rolled, pinched, sliced, etc. After that, the works are fired at 1260 degrees centigrade; during this process, the paper component burns away allowing for the clay to settle becoming pure white and semi-translucent.
Pom Mullan, who was born and raised in the UK, now lives in Dubai. She studied for a B.A. (Hons) degree in 3D design at West Surrey College of Art & Design (WSCAD) in Farnham, Surrey. Her specialization is in Ceramics working in hand built and wheel thrown forms. Apart from being an artist, Mullan has also worked as a teacher: she has taught secondary school students to work with clay for many years in both the UK and Dubai.
To learn more, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
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