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The Vision
“Bowls for Peace” is a vision for a more equal society, one that shares its riches, sustained by the experience of unity, and even love. Some might call this a utopia, but what if every time we picked up a bowl we were reminded of this vision of human solidarity?
The Power of Bowls
The bowl in its very archaic form is a basic human tool. And more. It can be seen as a quintessential symbol for abundance. Imagining bowls everywhere, the idea to invite artists to create bowls with a message was born.
Bowls are an expression – the spirit of an artist molded from raw clay. Clay itself almost equals earth and could be taken for granted as something very basic. The reality has rather an adventurous character: chemically highly complex, easy to shape, difficult to control, extremely long lasting and quickly breakable - it can be seen as the perfect metaphor of human life on earth - and the perfect substance to inspire artists and the public around change, responsibility, attention, peace, freedom...and patience.
The Artists
For the first exhibition of Bowls for Peace in the series, three artists have been chosen to inspire us. Michiko Seki (Paris), Josh Redman (Herefordshire) and Maria Johansson (Amsterdam) are ceramic artists, each with a different approach.
Josh Redman
In breaking out of the conventional and showing an urge for freedom, Josh Redman can put an occasional destructive element into his pieces. A rebel and a poet are at work in one set of hands, a Kali quality that is creation through destruction in a tender version. It’s an element that we might need for the change to move us out of our lethargy. Josh exhibits his work widely across the UK and Europe.
Michiko Seki
Michiko demonstrates little Kali but lots of love: connection to nature, to self, to life and creation itself. Admiration for a soap bubble, the smallest animal, a tiny flower, the softest heart and the biggest, this is Michiko’s gift. “Just myself” and all that is. Her most recent project involved the creation of tableware for the new Japanese Restaurant Bon Paris.
Maria Johansson
Maria’s projects deal with the space between the individual and the world, concentrating on the models of interpretation. Why? Because as Aristotle said: “the aim for every human is happiness, it is only the question of how best to achieve this goal which remains”. Maria draws her inspiration from the philosophical traditions, western and non-western, as well as beliefs expressed in popular culture, juxtaposing them on everyday life as it is experienced before our eyes.
“I am making things with the desire to obtain total freedom in the flow of a life of purity and innocence. ... with my creations I would love to make life a little happier than yesterday.”
Michiko Seki www.ceramichi.com
M. Seki - Bols Noirs
«I am not sure that a disturbance of peace is "unpeaceful", or that peace comes about through the destruction of things which are not peaceful. It is therefore a term which lies in the arbitrary, and that is where my pots come in.» Josh Redman www.joshredman.co.uk
Josh Redman Collosal Loving Cup
"For this exhibition I aim to create bowls holding an unusual calm as they are meant as a contemplation of the peace within, the balance which enables peace with what is in the outer world focusing on the delight and beauty which it brings." Maria Johansson
M. Johansson Glaze test
Maria Johansson
Annette Hormann’s contribution to this exhibition will evolve around her new topic for Paintings “Goddesses”. These Goddesses are earthborn and aim to remind us of our inherent perfection – just as we are – in opposition to our general view of ourselves as being painfully flawed.
Peace is possible - let us start with it.
Part of the proceeds from Bowls for Peace goes to Anjali House, a Cambodian NGO that empowers children through art.
We appreciate your support in whatever form it may come, this project is a start and meant to grow. We believe in co-creation and are open for creative input as long as the vision of peace is held. We would like to see peace bowls all over the world. Peace in our hearts can spring from something as simple as a bowl.
About Freedom Works
Freedom Works is a space for creation around peace and freedom. The space is named “Freedom Works”, because freedom is necessary for lasting and true peace and to enjoy life. The artist Ai Weiwei says: “The beauty of life does not exist without freedom”.
“Living like everybody else inside of this mostly unsustainable world and being an artist who happens to have a beautiful space available, it makes sense to share it with other creative people who also want to be a change factor, even a small one.” – Annette Hormann
Atelier-Galerie A. Hormann Rue des Vergnies, 28, 1050 Brussels (close to Flagey)
For Press inquiries please contact: Annette Hormann am@annette-mann.com
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