Jed Gjerek

Artist Statement

We all have roots which come from the tradition we belong to. Our roots and the tradition we are connected with is visible in our family tree. No matter if we know anything about our history or we don’t it is there.

From the moment we are born, through our lives, we are affected by many things. In some cases the roots and tradition play a significant role in our life. In some other cases we are barely connected with it or we are not connected at all. Mostly, our life is full of emotions and experiences, knowledge we gained and skills we acquired. First steps we make and first kiss we get. Our childhood and any day after till the end. Even when life ended in the step there were steps made so far. And there are roots and traditions we came from.

As a National Treasure awarded for my work in the Croatian traditional pottery field in my artwork I deal with a more global approach. My work has roots in worldwide ceramics and pottery. Sometimes it is deeply connected with tradition; in some other cases it is connected with more recently, modern or contemporary ceramics practice. What happens after is a life of artwork as we have a life. The work is growing in my mind and in practice and it is affected by many different actions. Sometimes planned, sometimes not but there are always a few layers of stains, glazes, few firing, oxidation and reduction… And very often a golden touch as a symbol of hope and the goal we try to get.

More in detail, in my artwork I deal with global issues as it is political, economical or ecological concerns and the contemporary (visual) noise we are surrounded with. I address it by the form I use but through aesthetic comes out concerns I spotted and I want to deal with. As a final product I’m intended to make a work which is as caustic and chaotic as a contemporary environment with some tendency to find solutions on how to take step further and how to extend boundaries we face now. Where I see solutions is an environment deprived of excessive noise but still full of contemporary marks.

Bio

Born in Croatia, currently based in Ireland, Jed Gjerek is an artist, potter, ceramic maker and tutor with a very popular YouTube Channel. Traditional pottery of north-west Croatia expert awarded by the Ministry of Culture Croatia as National Treasure with numbers of displaying, workshops, lectures, research work and publication behind. As tutor in pottery and ceramic field he is author of master classes, educational programs, workshops, courses, lectures, training and demonstrations for all age groups, educational levels and special students needs. Most recently he is focused in contemporary art practice with a more global approach in his art work. He’s addressing global concerns mostly around contemporary noise of any kind and the effect it makes or could make on the human population and ecosystem. With beliefs in artwork supposed to be sume of knowledge, skills and passion he’s looking for solutions on how to connect contemporary frames with traditional artistic pursuits and craft, primarily with ceramics and sculpting. Clay Galway member since 2019. Ceramics Ireland member since 2018. The Croatian Association of ceramists Kerameikon member since 2005.