Connie Kiener

In the month of October, the gallery is pleased to present Waking Dream by ceramic artist Connie Kiener. This show brings together a range of the artist’s interests in life, the animal kingdom, and our place in the universe, which is demonstrated through a selection of wall-mounted work and freestanding sculpture. A series of levitating orangutans are re-created as honorable and noble creatures, and whimsical birds adorn the busts of her sculptures, which are painted using Kiener’s distinctive maiolica style. As the artist states, “These sculptures are vessels, as we ourselves are vessels. The bust is their safe place and they are looking out into the world from the inside out.” In Waking Dream, the artist further juxtaposes the notion of being awake and being in a dreamlike state – of eyes open and eyes shut, which adds to the cosmic and subliminal quality of this body of work. This work has also reached beyond Kiener’s past ceramic techniques, to include carving in wood, and painting works without the restrictions of ceramic firing.