It is just a game
Ceramics
Installation: 120 cm x 32 cm x 60 cm
Artist’s Statement
Clay is a fascinating medium; mud that comes from the Earth through firing turns it to stone.
I enjoy seeing what clay can do. I am fascinated by how thin clay can go. In this artwork, it is just a game. I have made two “decks” of “playing cards”. One with black, copper oxide, with a thin leaf imprint into the cards, and red, iron oxide, with a wider leaf imprint into them. These are my “decks”. I have also left a few cards unfired to show the contrast between the raw clay and the fired clay.
Unlike conventional decks of cards, each of these cards is unique. This allows for a different aesthetic each time they are displayed. In It Is Just A Game, I have displayed it as a game of canasta that my sisters and I played. This game is played with two decks of cards, with 2-3 players where the players are single and 4 players where there are teams of 2. This is a card game that was and still is prevalent in our family, particularly during family holidays. The fired cards are the cards that have been ‘played’, and the unfired cards are the cards still in the ‘players’ hands.
Card games in general are often played in my family and in many other families as well as with friends. I made the cards individually so that the game they represent can be interchangeable and personalised.
Growing up, my mom would often say, “It is just a game” when games became heated to try to ward off a soon-to-be fight. So now this is a constant saying in my life.
Gallery
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