ART CITIES:Dubai-Johan Creten
Johan Creten started working with clay from the late 80s, when the medium was still a taboo in the art world. Earth was deemed dirty and damp, while the creator was also seen as an usurper of God, transgressing religious interdicts. Yet, at the same time clay represents “Earth Mother”, linking the sacred to the profane.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Leila Heller Gallery Archive
Johan Creten is one of the earliest exponents of using clay in the context of contemporary art and is considered a precursor alongside Thomas Schütte and Lucio Fontana. Featuring both established and more recent works by Johan Creten, the exhibition “True Love” further explores the themes encompassing the artist’s career, including emphasis on the relationship between humanity and Earth. Clay is a finely-textured composite material composed of minerals, soil, oxides and organic deposits. As one of the earliest mediums for our prehistoric ancestors, clay served a purpose beyond the aesthetic, forming containers for dry grain, vessels for water; and, hearths which would progress, with time, into rudimentary homes. In mythology, creation stories detail when the gods gave life to clay through breath and fire to create the first people; and, most importantly, clay composed the first tools to define advanced human society. As his vehicle for artistic expression, Johan Creten does not take the significance of clay lightly. Especially in his practice, clay reaches beyond the context of the applied crafts, adapting instead the vocabulary of Conceptual Art. Across contemporary art history, it is uncommon for artists to attempt representing the utility of clay in their works. Creten, however, does not see this as a challenge, for, as he states, “I should, as an artist, have the ability to take an idea from one method of representation and carry it to another means of representation”. Throughout the exhibition, Johan Creten displays an uncanny understanding of clay as a medium, further delving into the notion of the omnipotent, formidable force, “the Earth Mother”. As an untraditional medium for contemporary art, Creten’s manipulation of clay to wield his vital messages has resonated with the newest generation of artists, breaking preconceived notions regarding what exactly it can achieve. Where Creten succeeds most is in this visual dialogue towards the practices of artists from the past, implementing previous applications of methods for manipulating raw materials, into the context of today, as mentioned above. Notwithstanding, the same can be said for his handling of subject matter; specifically, in how Creten deifies his concepts into clay idols. By doing so, he transforms a banal medium into an icon to be worshipped today, powerful contextually even now as it might have been for our ancestors who prioritized our bond to the Earth.
Info: Leila Heller Gallery, I-87, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, Duration: 18/3-18/8/19, Days & Hours: Sat-Thu 10:00-19:00, www.leilahellergallery.com
