By Grace Rokesky
2025
dark stoneware
45x25x10cm
$850
ARTIST STATEMENT
'Untitled' was inspired by my enchantment by the haunting beauty of the undulating landscape of disused quarries that replaced the native heathlands of my ancestral homelands in Upper Lusatia (Saxony, Germany). The industrialisation of Lusatia in the 1950’s saw native Sorbian land destroyed and many Sorbian peoples displaced in order to create large open-cast lignite mines. This has led to an acceleration in the decline of Sorbian culture and language, and has extensively damaged Upper Lusatia’s biodiverse ecosystems.
'Vesica Piscis' is heavily inspired by an interest in early Christian and Pagan symbology. The form overtly references the oval shape of the Vesica Piscis often depicted within medieval Christian art to portray an aureole of light, a fish representing Christ or the side wound of Christ. The tightness of the knitted coils draws from the endlessness and repetition seen within Celtic knots and their symbolism of eternity, life cycles and interconnectedness.
BIO
Grace Rokesky is an emerging contemporary artist living and working on Wadawurrung Country. To create her works, Grace extrudes long ceramic coils which she then knits together to create organic shaped structures that consider themes of post-humanism, neurodivergence, environment and kinship. These works are predominately made using rough, dark clay bodies that are left unglazed in order to emulate organic material and evoke imagery of nature. The implementation of knitting techniques draws from her childhood, ancestry and interest in history, ritual and the natural world. Ultimately, her art aims to foster a sense of wonderment, love and connection.
