Seven ceramai – an invitational exhibition 1980

Curator: Lanny Sommese created this intriguing mixed-media piece, a poster, actually, entitled "Seven Ceramai – an invitational exhibition" back in 1980. My first thought? Ethereal surveillance. Editor: Ethereal surveillance – that's wonderfully concise. What strikes me immediately are the disembodied eyes and hands bordering a serene skyscape. The gaze follows the history of hands building, sculpting…it’s like we are being watched through time itself, assessed for what we can make. Curator: Exactly. The hand, the eye – potent, timeless symbols. Consider how these symbols function across cultures. The eye as a window to the soul, a representation of divine oversight; the hand as the instrument of creation, agency. This isn't merely about watching; it's about the power to act, to shape reality. Editor: And that stark contrast – those almost menacing, almost alien turquoise hands and eyes framing the softer image of the mountain – it creates a feeling of unease. Like nature, and perhaps art, are constantly observed and manipulated by unseen forces. It suggests a certain critical edge doesn't it? The invitation of the exhibit turns almost confrontational. Curator: Absolutely, that uneasy tension works well given its promotional function. Inviting intrigue, prompting viewers to consider the exhibition on a deeper, perhaps subconscious, level. Consider also that "Seven Ceramai" – an exhibition of ceramics - implicates the ancient traditions where humankind forms objects from earth – hand and fire in creative and, later, commercial pursuits. Editor: There's something about the combination of the photographic and the graphic elements, this weird almost pop-art aesthetic. Is this a window? A mirror? How do we consider how artwork functions as this cultural go-between? Curator: It's interesting to note the deliberate choice of this particular symbolism, to convey not only an invitation, but the very essence of what that act of creation embodies—that persistent human impulse. The power and the danger that lives inside every ceramic piece as well as the artistic invitation in-and-of itself. Editor: Well, now I feel ready to encounter some powerful art. Curator: Precisely. Mission accomplished!