Communion

About Communion

This contemporary white porcelain tabletop sculpture is by Paula Murray.

At the core of Paula Murray’s refined artistic practice is a desire to express the fragility of life. Using her own recipe for clay, she creates uniquely beautiful pieces like this sculpture that emulates the shape of two ear horns or trumpets—a historic form used by both indigenous and European cultures as a hearing aid. One of a series of original pieces she created for a 2019 installation called “Who is speaking? Who is listening? The two horns are glazed together.

“Ear horns are a beautiful shape that both Europeans and Indigenous Peoples have a connection to. The bones of the buffalo were ground up and used for the production of European porcelain. Using the fragile nature of this material, I aim to draw attention to the quality of both speaking and listening today. Why are we so slow to wake up? Are we hard of hearing? Are we talking past each other? This work speaks to my deeply held belief in the inherent nobility and oneness of all people.” Paula Murray

“This is an artist who knows her way around clay, and who has chosen to push its boundaries in an unconventional way. By that I mean she’s no purist – there is no absolution in her work that locks it within the constraints of her chosen medium. Instead, she’s invested it with ideas and approaches and material from the outside.” Gil McElroy, Art Critic

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.