Reyaz Badaruddin
The inspiration for this work comes from an observation of the omnipresent urbanization, in particular the skyscrapers with endless towers filled with thousands of pigeon holes – the new modern form of human dwelling destined to millions. The feel of space, the changing landscape and the concept of home/house/belonging are ideas that have been explored in this work.
With this installation, friends and memories of friendship are brought together. In addition to his own collection, Reyaz asked 14 other ceramicists to make a cup for him. Each cup is unique. Together, they tell stories of shared moments, past, present and future.
A Cup of Tea 2012, 2014
Gobekli Tepe is a pre-historic site in Turkey where archeologists have excavated monumental T-shaped stone structures which are carved with different animals and abstract symbols. The story behind this site is still unclear. Through this series Reyaz explores a connexion between past and present, investigating forms and designs from excavated structures, allowing the process of making to capture the essence of time.
Gobekli Tepe, 2014-2015
Anagama series, 2007-2008
In 2007-08 Reyaz went to Golden Bridge Pottery (GBP) in Pondicherry, India, on a residency programme and to assist Ray Meeker. During his stay at GBP Reyaz created a body of work inspired by his visit to Laddakh. He mostly worked in highly grogged stoneware clay and fired in a traditional Japanese wood kiln.
Series made for CSAD Degree Show, 2009
In 2009 Reyaz was awarded the prestigious Charles Wallace Fellowship which allowed him to follow an MA attachment programme in ceramics at Cardiff School of Art and Design (CSAD), UK. His time at CSAD changed his approach to clay as he explored surface decoration techniques, the use of colour and the process of working with plaster moulds.
Changing Landscape, 2012-2015
Luminious, 2016
Working with a new material means considering new possibilities. Using porcelain as a starting point for this series allowed me to depart from my usual practice and use new techniques in order to create unique work.
Using a composed object, I tried to investigate the relation between form and surface, and to see how drawings may compliment the form or play with it to reveal new ways of looking at the same object. Through repetition and change, subtle shifts in perspective may occur, allowing the pieces to create their own identity both individually and as part of a collection.
Ode to Tea, 2017-18
For this porcelain series, I decided to revisit the tea cup, a form I have explored extensively both as a potter on the wheel and as a visual element of more recent, conceptual work. I am envisaging the cup as a celebration of the everyday, playing with its form and considering the question of context, placement and importance of this supposedly simple object
Still Life, 2018
This installation investigates the relation between ceramic objects and their representation in paintings, through the process of working with clay and canvass alongside. I find it fascinating to observe the way a three dimensional ceramic object becomes a component of a still life painting and thus is given importance. Frozen in space, the everyday object becomes timeless.
Here, my aim is to experiment with both two and three dimensions in order to present compositions through which the viewer can rethink the relationship with given objects, presented differently in the same physical space.
The objects serve as stereotypes of what functional ceramic objects are perceived to be and therefore become themselves a canvas for the viewer to establish their own relationship with the work.
