Luke Ryan O’Connor is a process driven artist with a practice akin to that of an alchemist. The developmental stage of each new body of artworks begins with experimentation and the development of varied glazes and unconventional textures. Working through the self-imposed limitations attached to the creation of a vessel provides O’Connor with a basic concept and an archetype from which to elaborate. His resulting artforms bring together multiple methods of manual production, from wheel throwing, to hand building and slip casting. The hybridity of this creative mode and the elusive nature of the artwork results in objects that evade simple categorisation.

Developing upon earlier bodies of work, this series sees the artist embrace an expanded colour palette. Polychromatic colours transverse the shiny glazed surfaces and tonal variants, achieved through gradient colours, are visible on the matte protrusions. The artist elaborates: “Bright and poppy colours have always been alluring to me particularly in contrast to ceramic material which has strong associations with earthy terracotta tones or the pristine white of porcelain. Throughout this series vibrant greens, yellows, pinks, and blues are applied over the top of deep black iron rich glaze designed to bubble and pucker during firing. The result is a highly elaborate skin like surface of mottled colour and texture.”

Slip cast appendages appear sporadically across the surface of the works. Some take the form of geometric growths with sharp edges, while others appear as knobbly loops that evoke the idea of functional handles. The surface of these appendages appear coarse and are sheathed in vibrant matte colour. They remain static during firing allowing the molten glaze to flow and ooze around them. They could also be seen as arms supporting the weight of thick glaze globules, preventing them from melding into the main body.

Display and the concept of the plinth is also relevant to the works. Each vessel body is attached to a ceramic pedestal. Typically, the plinth is seen as supplementary to the work, however O’Connor merges the vessels with their plinth to heighten the self-consciousness of the display – a technique particularly resonant when viewed on digital platforms.

Artist Biography

Luke Ryan O’Connor is a Sydney-based artist working primarily across ceramics, sculpture and installation. O’Connor graduated in 2016 from Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney where he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honours (First Class).

Since that time he has steadily developed a reputation for a ceramics practice which is equally grounded in technique and experimentation. O’Connor’s work has been exhibited across Australia as well as in recent international shows in New Zealand & Germany. Selected exhibitions from the last few years include shows at Artereal Gallery, Michael Reid Gallery in Berlin, the Jam Factory in Adelaide, Sydney Contemporary, and as a finalist in the 2018 Churchie Art Prize at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.

Luke Ryan O’Connor was featured in Art Collector Magazine’s 2021 list of ’50 things collectors should know’. He is currently working towards an upcoming solo exhibition at Bega Valley Regional Art Gallery to be held in late 2021.

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