White Noise / Edna Oliver

The B.Y5 gallery has never looked so quiet. At first glance the space may feel minimalistic, either to a shocking or amazing extent. It’s all a matter of taste. The white hue of the walls blends with a warmer tone: the walls are filled with pores- like and layered porcelain sculptures, comprised of delicate fragments, invite us to gaze in deeper.

Another glance reveals that each wall contains a system of organs with unclear purpose and unknown use. Are they leading each other or are they being led? And in what way are they inviting us to experience them?

In her first solo exhibition, Edna Oliver chooses to blend the Natural and inanimate worlds that have been reflected in her works so far, with an inner, intimate, and personal world. And in an entirely symbolic match with the name of the prize – Oliver surrounds us with “words.” Each object speaks her unique sculptural language.

Hundreds of sculpted segments that are intricately connected by meticulous craftwork, considering the contraction during the firing and cooling process, in contrast to the cool studio room. This method was invented by Edna herself. We do not speak this sculptural language and roaming this space only once is not sufficient enough to learn about it. The sounds produced by the sculptures share a common element and the repeating elements of the sculptures share similarity in shape as well as a distinct sound.

The innocent white walls that surround us may feel stormier now.

The surrounding silence seems as in an active conversation that takes place on a different frequency. Can you hear it?

Tali Kayam, June 2023

The exhibition ‘White Noise’ was made possible thanks to the generous donation of the Mila Foundation to the Ceramic & Crafts Association of Israel and the B.Y5 gallery. The Mila Foundation was established with the aim of supporting ceramicists in the first steps of their professional career and giving them the opportunity to present their solo exhibition with close curatorial support. The first prize was awarded to artist Edna Oliver.