Spaceman

Work in Progress

Hello Kitty figures forming the petal of a flower, ceramic.

Here are some work in progress images of my first installation titled Ike-Unko, roughly traslated to Poop Flower Arrangement. It is a project that is concerned with how kawaii is used in merchanising and the trajectory of these characters through Japanese folklore. You will see obvious references to Hello Kitty and Mr Poop. You've got to love the Japanese sense of humour!

Man as Monkey

I have been a little obsessed with Monkey business lately. The Monkey for me serves as a metaphor for what we were, what we are, and what we will one day return to. The Sleeping Monkey is a figure that appears in many of my ideas, and I am sure it will surface sometime in the near future.

Work in Progress

Transformation Nation, Ceramic

Well, the first year of my Masters course at Sydney College of the Arts is slowly coming to an end. In the last month I have been juggling writing an essay on my practice, working out chapter headings, project outline, woodfiring with the Ceramic Study Group, and a hell of a lot of studio work.

I am concurrently working on projects that incorporate the feline form. I have been conscientiously researching Japanese Pop culture in relation to Neo-Exoticism and am fascinated by the constant appearance of cats, particularly of the cutesy variety. This has lead me to investigate the culture of Kawaii (cute) in Japan and its historical background.

My first project is a direct result of the observation of this phenomenon in the world of merchandising. I have posted some work in progress images of my first installation Ike-Unko and Transformation Nation. The fact that Japan is a nation that is fascinated with childhood obsessions and invariably suffers from a Peter Pan complex is something that I am exploring in my own work by looking at merchandising products associated with Manga and Anime.

Exhibition continues to Saturday 30 August, 2008

Animalis Australis, Winner of U-Beaut Ceramic Prize

Animalis Australis, Presented for the U-Beaut: Utility 2008 Exhibition held at Sydney College of the Arts. A part of Sydney Design 08, presented by the Powerhouse Museum.

Random transformations on strangers are always appreciated.

the 2008 Sydney Teapot Show

www.clayworkers.com.au

Bohemian Rhapsody (with Rhino), coloured porcelain, onglaze decals, tray

Teapot Set Exhibited at The 2008 Sydney Teapot Show, opening Friday 1st August @ The Innercity Clayworkers Gallery, St Johns Rd, Glebe

http://www.formargruppen.se

Australis Animalus, Exhibited at Formargruppen, Sweden, 2008.

About Formargruppen
Formargruppen is an artists cooperation with a shop and a gallery in downtown Malmö, Sweden. The 20 members are all professional craft artists working in different materials. All the artists are local, and most of them can be visited in their studios as well as in the shop. The gallery shows a new exhibition every month, where the audience can experience new, often experimental, conceptual crossover expressions within the contemporary crafts scene.

Formargruppen is a shop and gallery in Malmö, the third city of Sweden. Over the years Formargruppen has become one of the leading venues for crafts in Sweden. In the Gallery we exhibit a mix of emerging artists with more established artists in the field, mostly from Sweden. We also want to work with an international artist or group every year. This year we are planning an international group exhibition with selected artists from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Great Britain, USA, Canada and Australia.

Curriculum Vitae - Petra Svoboda - 2008

Education
2008 - Master of Visual Art, Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle.
2007 - TAA40104 Certificate IV Workplace and Assessment Training.
2002 - Bachelor of Fine Arts/Hons, The National Art School, Darlinghurst.
1997 - Bachelor of Art Theory & History, The College of Fine Arts, Paddington.

Professional Experience
2007 - Current Ceramic Teacher, Nepean TAFE, Kingswood.
2002 - Current Ceramic Teacher, Eastern Suburbs Community College, Bondi.
2004 - 2008 Printing on Clay Workshops held at NSW TAFE's and Sturt Craft Centre.
2003 - 2008 Workshop Coordinator, NSW Pottery Supplies, Homebush West.
2002 - 2005 Technical Assistant, David Edmonds Ceramics, Marrickville.
2001 - 2005 Member of The Innercity Clayworkers Gallery Cooperative, Glebe.
2001 - 2002 Gallery Assistant, All Handmade Gallery, Waverley.
1998 - 1999 Technical Assistant, Bush Wa Zee Ceramics, Bondi.

Artistic Experience

Selected Exhibitions
2008 - Arts & Crafts Formagruppen, Sweden.
2007 - Transferring the Image, Mura Clay Gallery, Newtown.
2005 - Out of Earth Symposium: The Plastic Possibilities of Clay, Ewart Gallery, Willoughby.
2004 - Bowl'd and Beautiful, Ceramic Art Gallery, Paddington.
2004 - Artisans in the Gardens, Lion Gate Lodge, Sydney.
2004 - Oribe and Cloth, All Handmade Gallery, Waverley.
2003 - Future Function, Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Manly.
2002 - The Vase Show (20yr Anniversary), Innercity Clayworkers Gallery, Glebe.
2001 - Talente 2001, Munich Design Fair, Germany.

Joint Exhibitions
2005 - Interwoven Tales, Blender Gallery, Paddington.
2002 - New Ceramics by Petra Svoboda & Joanne Searle, Mura Clay Gallery, Newtown.

Solo Exhibitions
2001 - New Ceramics by Petra Svoboda, Mura Clay Gallery, Newtown.
2001 - Osmosis, The Innercity Clayworkers Gallery, Glebe.

Awards
2008 - Australian Postgraduate Award

Professional Memberships
National Association of The Visual Arts (NAVA)
The Ceramic Association of Australia