sally curry ― rites of passage survey exhibition

Sally is renowned for her ceramic Women, which she has been creating since the early 90’s in her Tasman Peninsula studio: “Handmark Gallery is honouring Sally with Rites of Passage, a wonderful survey of her decades of dedication to clay,” Gallery Director, Allanah Dopson, enthuses. “She has brought so much joy to so many people with her beloved sculptures and has built a loyal following over the years.”
The Women in Rites of Passage are from Sally’s personal collection. Many date back to her early years and Sally calls them her “source of inspiration”. They have an otherworldly quality drawn from imagery in dreams and Greek mythology. Baubo (1992) the bawdy goddess of older women bursts with electric energy, while Atalanta (2008) the goddess of running challenges suitors to race. Reader (2013) is imbued with serenity and Look (2013) has a powerful gaze of confidence.
“All my Women are strong individuals and not afraid to live life to the full,” Sally explains. “They are all like family to me.” So, not surprisingly it’s not easy to let them go. But as Sally moves onto the next stage of her life it was something she had to do: “Rites of Passage celebrates the voyage of womanhood from a young girl through to an older wise woman. And I felt it was important to clear the decks as I get ready for my next exciting chapter.”
Sally Curry’s Rites of Passage survey exhibition runs until October 3.