TROPHY
In 2023, I undertook the City of Port Phillip’s Environmental Leadership Program, where examination of the qualities of Leadership captured my interest, and the concept for this body of work emerged.Trophies of Leadership is a set of handmade porcelain trophies, each one dedicated to a value we expect in our leaders. The trophy form elevates the conceptual values, as does the porcelain material. The marbled clay trophy forms were chosen to connect back to the foundations of Classical Western civilisation, where Philosophers Plato, Aristotle and others analysed existing Greek systems (often critically) and explored concepts of justice, equality, and different forms of government, providing a foundational vocabulary for future political thought, noted human dilemmas and laid down existential frameworks for us to explore questions of ways of being and knowing. This artwork presents a series of trophies that elevate and explore some of the qualities of Leadership required to guide Humanity through environmental crises to a stable and secure planet home. The qualities I have represented here are: Integrity, Respect, Honesty, Courage, Communication, Authenticity, Resilience, and Resourcefulness. Of course, this list is not exhaustive.
It is interesting to note that power and leadership qualities are not always paired.
Think about our most prominent World Leaders - do you see these qualities in them? The answer can be confronting. Facts of Matter was an exhibition by Clay Matters, held at Linden New Art’s Project Space in St Kilda, curated by me, Cinda, and supported by the City of Port Phillip’s Cultural Development Fund.
The exhibition was themed around each artist offering positive solutions to the climate crisis.Images by Tina Wilkins Pictures
