Naciente II
Naciente II by Avital Sheffer
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Avital Sheffer is a ceramic artist based on the North-Coast of NSW, Australia. She creates generous ceramic vessel forms, strong in presence and refined in detail.
Her work is represented in public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Sydney Powerhouse, Manly Art Gallery & Museum and the Gold Coast City Art gallery, as well as corporate and private collections. Avital Sheffer is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Avital Sheffer is a ceramic artist based on the North-Coast of New South Wales. Drawing on her Middle Eastern and Jewish ancestry, Sheffer’s ceramics traverse the fertile territories of history, mythology, archaeology and language. In her practice, she creates generous ceramic vessel forms that are strong in presence and refined in detail. From her native country of Israel, Sheffer brings a deep engagement with multi-faceted Middle Eastern cultures, history and design – complexities and dilemmas she explores in her work.
In her current solo exhibition, Sheffer explores the theme of Convivencia, a Spanish word meaning ‘living together’ or ‘coexistence’. The term is used to describe a period in Spanish history that refers to a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) under Islamic rule:
“Beneath our feet the earth was embedded with shards of clay. Their presence and the stories they seemed to have whispered ignited my imagination since childhood.
Settlement and exile, conflict and conquest, contested lands and religious wars between diverse cultures have shaped the history of the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin for millennia. Yet material objects and written records also speak of Convivencia – the ability to coexist and evolve in this fertile cultural crossroads where ideas, languages and traditions converse.
At the heart of this body of work is the unfolding inquiry of my cultural and historical roots and the intimate dilemmas of identity, language, body and beauty.
This group of gestural ceramic vessels made with coils, draped with dry glazes, prints and a hint of gold are my reimagining of the enigmas and splendours of the Convivencia.”
Avital Sheffer
Dimensions: 510 x 150 x 150
Material: earthenware clay, glazes, gold lustre
Due to the handmade nature of the products dimensions may vary on individual pieces.
Purchases from our shops directly support individual artists as well as our unique exhibition and training programs.
Handmade in Australia.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU WILL BE CONTACTED REGARDING FINAL FREIGHT COSTS AFTER YOUR PURCHASE IS FINALISED AND SHIPPING DETAILS ARE CALCULATED.
THIS PIECE IS ON DISPLAY AS PART OF THE 'CONVIVENCIA: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF IDENTITY' EXHIBITION'.
THE EXHIBITION RUNS UNTIL JULY 5TH 2026. ANY SOLD WORK WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION OR DELIVERY IN MID JULY 2026.