Porcelain patterns entice

Say porcelain and names come to mind – Lucie Rie, Sueharu Fukami, Ogata Kenzan and many more. If Sueharu's signature qingbai glaze, eloquently represents the ceramist's development for over more than 20 years – the overwhelming sense of vitality and stretched tension of unfaltering curves have always been fascinating. Delhi Blue unveils a brilliant collection of porcelain ware, created by both established and emerging ceramic artists and the eyes travel and transcend over many pieces of sheer delight. At this point, one must recall and mention that Leena Batra has been one of the greatest ceramic artists creating porcelain ware that cut across boundaries and traversed many cultural symbols and languages. And her husband Ravi Batra with the trustees of Delhi Blue keep this happening engagement going for lovers of ceramic ware.

Aditi Sarogi creates hand built porcelain with celadon glaze. Tiny human figures enhance the ideation of design and soft rendering glaze. Anamika's 'Emergence' is a treat for tired eyes - you see the delicate fragile leafy thin layers that she arranges with grace and you know that this is a radical hand of both experience and elegance.

Ange Peter's 'Koi loves Lotus' has such a Buddhist appeal even as it whispers of oriental moods. The alacrity with which he creates the fish contours against the satin black makes for a heady contrast. Anjani Khanna has been creating a host of ingenious sculptural ceramics; her white and blue hybrid human with a dog is fetching, if not facile, in its tone and tenor.

Rakhee Kane's platters with earthy strokes speak about stories of the soil, what endures is her precision and perfection in terms of artistry as well as aesthetics. Reyas Bedaruddin plays with the night and day semblance to give a satin smooth finish to his marble toned tableau.

The harvest of notions and sighs come from Sabrina Srinivas's 'Liquid Matter' which unravels fluidity and flexibility in contours even as it builds an evanescent eloquence - you know how difficult it is to create this mood in porcelain and that is what makes it enticing.

Roger Cockram's 'Fish in Water Bowl' stoneware is the piece de resistance of the show that tells us that ceramics is a global language. The technique is what arrests. In his own words, Cockram says that he starves his kiln of oxygen and this radically affects colours produced. "During this 'reducing' phase, the kiln is allowed to reach more than 1300 degrees centigrade, with flames emerging from every crack in the structure. It is actually quite a dramatic and exciting time. Basically, I am attempting to 'steer' the forces rather than controlling them, to achieve an impression of the heat and flames when one sees the result. Conversely, the cooling phase is very slow and cannot be rushed," he said.

A ceramic show must do a few things and this show transcends thought; it reflects supple curves and sharp silhouettes; extols the beauty of lines and glaze; showcases a deeper sensitivity to materials, and also defines the beauty and timelessness of tactile experience. A must for ceramic lovers. Runs at Visual Arts Gallery till March 15.