Amass XI

About Amass XI

This contemporary sculptural ceramic wall composition is by Paula Murray.

Amass is an elegant new series by ceramicist Paula Murray of contemporary wall art that references an ancient form of recording information, both secular and spiritual…the scroll. Each scroll is made from a customized clay recipe Murray mixes herself. The fine fissures on the surface of each scroll are created by inserting fibreglass filaments into the wet porcelain clay before firing. In this piece, eleven creamy white scrolls float on the wall—each one overlapping another, designed to suggest an intriguing narrative.

“When I roll a porcelain slab into the form of a scroll, a mysterious language appears. Like revelatory texts, there are so many layers of meaning to discover, interpret, appreciate. How do we discern truth from spin? Fired in clay, the writing stays true; it cannot be tampered with, transformed into a set of alternate facts. Floating on the wall, these compositions are not neat and tidy but invite a reading between the lines.” Paula Murray

Paula Murray was born in Ottawa and studied science at the University of Ottawa and ceramics at Sheridan College. Elected to the International Academy of Ceramics (2017) and the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (2006), she has based her full-time studio practice in Meech Lake, in Gatineau Park, since 1980.

Exhibiting in prestigious exhibitions in Canada, Italy, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Portugal, Romania and the USA, she has received several awards and creation grants.
In 2021, Paula Murray was awarded one of the highest honours granted by the Quebec government in recognition of an exceptional career in the arts—the Prix d’excellence from le Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec. In 2022, she received the Kito Prize at the Jingdezhen International Ceramics Biennale in China.
Public collections include the World Korean Ceramic Foundation Museum, Yingge Ceramic Museum, Taiwan, Museum of Ceramics, Faenza, Italy, Canada House, London, UK, and in Canada, the Gardiner Museum, Museum of History, and Art Bank.