Amberley Cooke & Esa Suominen | Echo
Amberley Cooke & Esa Suominen
Echo
EDGE GALLERY
April 4 - 26, 2025
Opening Reception: April 4, 5-7pm
Written by Amberley Cooke
Shapes and surfaces, impressions and layers sewn, handbuilt and imprinted. The art tells a dynamic story of juxtaposing mediums and how they are able to come together to create a cohesive dialogue between clay and vinyl.
We noticed a commonality in the slow process based techniques reflected on each other's work, but yet the mediums were so opposite to work with. We built this show on this curiosity of repetition found in our patterns, art process, simple forms, layers of impressions. Connecting two worlds, passing work between for each of us to add our influences.
For this show I wanted to step out of ceramic functional ware and for Esa, expanding on larger, soft sculpture forms. The repetition and the assembly of the Mawa characters' details, especially the texture patterns, inspired me to try and echo that in the clay surface. The audience can expect to see a nod of influence from the geometric solids in both of our work. As well as playing off the digital art pixel Esa also creates. The pieces focus on structure, textures and stack up together in this world.
Timing was an unexpected player in the crossover pieces we created. As clay goes through various stages, to get a signature or a sewn texture impression, it has a window of time before the moment has passed. We wanted a tangible depth you can feel over the clay. We created it with the sewn texture impressions, a hand carved clay skull stamp and glaze finishes. For this project we explored the unique and inventive ways to create the sense of softness of the vinyl in something that is ultimately hard like ceramics.
AMBERLEY COOKE
Emerging ceramic artist Amberley Cooke is thrilled to present her first gallery show, Echo featuring a collection highlighting handcrafted pottery's beauty. Based in Whitehorse, Yukon she draws inspiration from the natural world and everyday experiences, creating pieces marked by vibrant colors and unique surface designs.
After spending the last nine years honing her in skills in ceramics, Amberley embraced ceramics, blending traditional hand-building techniques with a contemporary flair. Her work beautifully marries artistry and functionality, inviting interaction and appreciation. She has participated in gallery group shows, received grants, and showcased her creations at pop-up events and local markets.
Passionate about making art accessible, Amberley believes that everyone should enjoy the tactile joy of handmade pottery. In this show, she invites viewers to explore her journey through clay, where each piece reflects her personal story and emotional landscape.
For insights into her artistic journey, follow her on Instagram at @kin_work_pottery and visit her website kinwork.ca.
ESA SUOMINEN
Esa Suominen is a Yukon raised artist and snowboard coach with an aim to build new connections between art and sports. His art explores combinations of found objects, soft sculpture, textiles and digital art in ways that can connect to the sports community and the world around him. To a snowboarder, their boards are canvases for stickers and their snow pants and jackets can be canvases for patches. These are just a couple elements that Esa takes from his surroundings and re-works into an art context to inspire creativity.
Past Exhibitions
