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The National Gallery opens a new exhibition in the Dart Auditorium Community Gallery this week that celebrates the artistic ingenuity of Virginia Foster. The exhibition presents a selection of contemporary ceramic art produced by Foster over the past decade. Entitled ‘Wonders of Clay: Perfectly Imperfect’, the exhibition seeks to highlight the most endearing qualities of the many “women of distinction” who have collectively enriched the artist’s life.

As an educator in Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman for over 30 years, Foster developed her passion for ceramics under the mentorship of former National Gallery Director Leslie Bigelman and subsequently under the tutelage of artist Cecilia Urdaneta. More recently, she has continued to develop her practice as a ceramist, producing an ever-growing body of work as a participating member of the Visual Arts Society’s open studio at Pedro St James, and with support from 3 Girls & a Kiln.

Foster’s artistic process emphasises the hand-made, tactile nature of her chosen medium. The story of each of these objects ultimately charts the transformation of humble clay into work of beauty and spirituality. “In the studio the clay was wedged and shaped in my hands”, the artist remarks. “Every piece has its own story full of symbols and contrasts: light and dark, think and thick, textured and smooth, in and out of balance. The variety of the ceramic process is both fascinating and inherently sensual. My work explores the discrepancy between how we, as humans, see ourselves and how we see others. It is important that I share this with my Caymanian community so that they, too, can share in the beauty of their wonderfully made relationships.”

From sculpted vessels to abstracted shapes, Foster’s clay sculptures explore both the tangible and expressive qualities of the objects they embody. The result is a deeply personal mediation on themes of memory, identity, place and nature, through which sensory impressions and evocative island landscapes are refashioned into form filled with humility and beauty in equal measure.

The exhibition features approximately 50 artworks and is a supported by a full colour catalogue, which has been generously funded through a grant from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.

It runs until 14 October 2021, and is open from 10:00AM – 5:00PM, Monday to Saturday. Admission to the gallery is free but Health & Safety measures are currently required including social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitization upon entry. A supporting programme of events can be viewed at https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on/ .

Photo: CNCF’s Dexter Benliss, Henry Muttoo, Marcia Muttoo, Martyn Bould and Morgan DaCosta, with artist Virginia Foster, Chief Officer for Culture and Heritage Teresa Echenique, and NGCI’s Natalie Urquhart, William Helfrecht and Maia Muttoo. Photo by Maggie Jackson.