Things not known but remembered (a journey of shards)
- Petrus Spronk

Things not known but remembered (a journey of shards) showcases the poetic visual language of Victorian ceramicist, Petrus Spronk. Spronk has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for more than four decades and is highly celebrated for a number of public sculpture commissions, including the iconic Architectural Fragment which emerges from the pavement outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne.

This exhibition presents a magnificent installation of Spronk’s latest body of work; assemblages of mindfully collected ‘shards’ of ceramic, masterfully transformed into meaningful and evocative sculptural forms.

“A shard, the signature of a maker from the past, with whom I created this exhibition of stillness.

During my ongoing journey along the ceramic path, where each piece represents a step along the way, I found myself again in an archeological dig and there, amongst the broken pieces of pottery, or shards, in created a symphony.

This became the inspiration for this exhibition.

Shards

this collection of shards

was found during an adventure

which took place in my memory

there is a piece of pottery.

we call it a shard

and we understand

that depending on the shard

some contain quite a story

which, with some knowledge,

one will be able to read it, like a book.

by careful observation we will also be able

to observe the clues it contains,

no matter how ancient the piece.

the story of which type of clay was used

The story of how it was made

the story of to which temperature it was fired

the story of what sort of vessel

it came form

it has taken almost 45 years to find and collect

the shards in this exhibition.

hidden in this exhibition also, for those who have noted my work,

is a history, of sorts, of my ceramic making.

and on the inside of one shard

I found written this note in pencil:

“if you live with the creative spirit

you are always at the beginning”

– Petrus Spronk, 2023

ARTIST TALK
‘My life as an artist in 8 short stories’ with musical accompaniment by the violinist, Jeremy Blackman, Saturday 13 May 2pm