Sally Kent - The Blooming

Overview

This exhibition draws upon three stories, Eve, Pandora and Bluebeard's Wife. In each of these myths, the female protagonist defies instructions or expectations with consequences that have traditionally been used by patriarchal society as a warning to women to stay in their lane and behave. Here, Kent reflects on feminine power and re-frames these women as heroines and seekers of knowledge. The potent imagery in religion and myth speaks to our subconscious through familiarity and tradition. Kent has created a lush garden of flowers and serpents, celebrating femininity and abundance, punctuated by reminders of mortality.

Sally Kent is a contemporary Australian ceramicist, working predominantly with hand-built porcelain. She has exhibited widely, including most recently at the National Gallery of Victoria in Art of Bloom. Kent was a finalist in the Victorian Craft Awards and the Ravenswood Women's Art Prize. Dark Flower Pods was Highly Commended in the 2020 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize.

Kent holds a Bachelor of Arts (Ceramic Design), a Bachelor of Laws and a Post Graduate Diploma in Art History and Film Studies from Monash University. She works in Melbourne/ Naarm, on Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri land.