Biography
Annemieke Mulders studied and worked in science while taking evening classes in art. About ten years of sculpture with Cor Dam in Delft, the Netherlands, various painting classes since her move to Australia in 1999, and more recently various pottery and ceramic classes.
Annemieke is driven by a need to understand things that puzzle her. In the past this motivated her scientific research. Now it motivates her ceramic art practice. She aims to understand the tension between the orderly and the regular on one hand, and the chaotic and the extreme on the other. She seeks to create something meaningful by combining both.
For her functional ware she makes symmetric shapes in clay and distorts them in a controlled manner, and uses those to make bowls and cups. She finds the shapes that emerge fascinating as they combine the artificial symmetric form with the plastic distortion of the clay. Afterwards she may carve the surface, add on pieces of clay or combine items together.
She develops glazes that remain vibrant after the high firing temperature necessary for durable functional ware. Her aim is to create a surface where the layered glazes interact with the carved surface and start to resemble an abstract painting. Using a palette that is inspired by the amazing coast and outback Australian landscape.
For her more sculptural work she explores the border and shared space of order, chaos, function, asymmetry and beauty. She creates something that seeks to be all of these things at the same time, evolving and changing in front of you. She uses discarded vessels that are changed by cutting, rearranging or breaking part of its surface. This process of destruction and building up creates a form that is simultaneously fragile, robust, complex and simple. This inherent contrariness demands questioning and defies simple categorisation.
Annemieke further explores these concepts in context of the Australian landscape, and places her installations in National Parks and beaches, where they interact with their surroundings.
Selected group exhibitions
2023 Bunury Biennale, Bunbury WA
2022 Gentle Unwinding, Modern Times, Fitzroy VIC
2022 The Vessel Edit, Kolbusz Space, Perth WA
2022-2015 CAAWA members selective exhibition, WA
2022-2019 Fine Art at Hale, Wembley Downs, WA
2022-2017 Tabletalk and Xmas exhibition, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Newtown NSW
2021 National Emerging Art Prize, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
2021 Maelstrom, Nyistor Studio, Perth, WA
2020 Morphed Alchemy, Ellenbrook, WA
2020 Rock Paper Scissors, Red Gallery, Redfern, VIC
2019, 2017 Artwalk Freo, Fremantle WA
2019 Manifest, Australian Ceramics Triennale, Hobart, TAS
2018 Materiality, Mundaring arts centre, Mundaring WA
2018 Fluid State, Gallery Central, Perth WA
2018 Melbourne Teapot show, Stonehouse Gallery, Warrandyte VIC
2023-2017 Annual Sydney Teapot show, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Newtown NSW
2018 Mugged!, May Space, Waterloo NSW
2018 World Stage Exhibition/Emerging Artists at Clay Gulgong NSW
2018- 2012 Quarterly themed exhibitions, Burt Street Gallery, Cottesloe WA
2016 Gifted, Mundaring arts centre, Mundaring WA
2016 - 2014 Annual Sydney Teapot show, Inner City Clayworkers Gallery, Glebe NSW
2016 CAAWA executive exhibition, POTober, Central Tafe, Perth WA
2016 Sculpture walk, Heathcote, Melville WA
2015 CAAWA members selective exhibition, Melville WA
2015 Belonging, TACA members exhibition, Acton ACT
2015 Scale exhibition, Central Park, Perth WA
2014 Teapot show, POTober, Perth WA
2014 Artist Open House Fremantle, Fremantle WA
2013 FAC student exhibition, Moore’s building, Fremantle WA
2012 - 2011 Annual Student and Teacher exhibition, Canberra Potters Society, Watson ACT