Juz Kitson

My installation in the Kerameikos exhibition here at the Chau Chak Wing Museum is a profound reimagining of ancient Roman and Greek funerary urns, amphoras and female figurine that became the basis for my film collaboration.

Meticulously handcrafted from porcelain and stoneware, these sculptural forms and accompanying film merge historical reverence with a vision of a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future.

These works draw direct inspiration from the museum's collection of antiquities, transforming these classical forms into futuristic relics that speak to both past and speculative future civilizations.

They transcend mere homage and delve deep into the cultural and emotional resonances of their historical counterparts.

The film collaboration with Ben Trahir and Craig Perkins also suggests a society that amidst ruins, clings to its cultural heritage, creating forms deep in symbolism.

The material choice of porcelain, with its connotations of fragility and endurance, underscores the delicate balance between destruction and preservation.

Central to this installation is the fertility figure, inspired by a palm-sized female Cypriot figurine, which is currently on display, this piece, while tiny in scale, commands a powerful presence and serves as a poignant counterpoint to the urns in my installation.

It encapsulates themes of fertility and femininity, along with embodying themes of life and regeneration, along with the enduring human spirit.

While drawing on the rich iconographic traditions of the ancient Mediterranean.

This female figure becomes a beacon of hope, symbolizing the persistence of life and the continuity of human culture through the ages.

I want to invite the viewer to reflect on the cyclical nature of history and the potential for renewal, even in the aftermath of devastation.

These futuristic relics, while rooted in antiquity, offer a compelling meditation in the interplay between past and future, destruction and creation.

I love the idea of challenging the viewer to consider the continuity of human experience, and the ways in which we can commemorate and understand our own existence.

I think the Kerameikos exhibition not only celebrates the artistry of the past, but also underscores the relevance of these ancient symbols in contemporary discourse, and the works across this group show a testament to the enduring power of art to transcend time and speak to the core of human experience.