Eclosion
2021
Marbled black and white porcelain, unglazed
750 mm (H)
About the artwork
Eclosion is the moment the butterfly leaves the cocoon, the time between being fully formed and not yet completely unfolded. The artwork, a 2021 award-winning vessel, focuses on the ‘in-between’, the transition from what was to what will be. The moment of exiting the cocoon, the eclosion, is the moment of being fully formed and beautiful – yet still in the process of becoming.
Melissa Barker is an established ceramics artist, a qualified French chef and Archaeologist, based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a Master’s of Arts degree in Archaeology focusing on ancient food and ceramics from the University of South Africa. Her research focused on the Yale Babylonian cooking recipes which were written in 1700 BC as well as the pottery that was used during this period. Melissa presented part of her experimental archaeology in this years ASOR (American Society of Oriental Studies) Online conference 2022. She was also the guest speaker at this years Hermanus Fine Arts exhibition 2022.
Melissa’s extensive knowledge of Mesopotamian material culture, and the experience of working with ancient ceramics, has greatly influenced her vessels. They are both expressive and extremely refined forms, and indirectly pay homage to the sophistication of this ancient civilization.
In November 2021, she won the Premier Award 2021 for her marbled porcelain artwork entitled ’Eclosion’ in the Ceramics South Africa (Western Cape) Regional competition. She has developed a range of distinctive marbled porcelain vessels, as each piece is individually marbled by hand and therefore unique. In 2019. she was also awarded the Ceramics South Africa (Western Cape) – New Signatures Award.
In August to September 2020, Melissa did a six-week ceramic residency with Andile Dyalvane and Zizipo Poswa of IMISO Studios, whereby she re-created ancient ceramic cooking pots from around 1700BC and cooked some of the recipes from the Yale Babylonian collection in a project called Nuhatimmu – `to cook`. Bringing ancient cooking back to life.
In February to March 2020, Melissa participated in an international Ceramics residency ‘Rise’ in France, under the mentorship of Dr Wendy Gers, an award-winning curator and scholar and Lauren Kearns, a world-renowned ceramic artist and director of International Artist Residency Exchange. During this period, she created the body of work, entitled “I See You’. Some of these vessels formed part of the 2021 ‘Nature Morte-Still from life’, Rupert Museum in collaboration with Eclectica Contemporary.
In 2017, she was commissioned to re-create ancient ceramics for the National Geographic documentary, Origins.