Joanna Mires makes objects and creates worlds which fuse a contemporary aesthetic with timeless design. Her practice of slip cast ceramics enables her to tread the line between recreating an existing object and making a whole new artefact. Her subject in this case is vintage Avon perfume bottles which depict a host of objects and animals; from swordfish to penguins and rhinos. Where once these bottles were attractive but essentially practical containers, they are now mere ornaments; far from reducing them to something crass, this elevates them to the level of fine art. The works have a presence all of their own, as if the creatures have been caught mid flight and petrified, they possess a stillness and tranquillity that leaves ample room for contemplation.
Notions of memory, remembrance and nostalgia surface throughout Joanna’s work, where a seemingly distant past is gently caressed into the present so that it can be considered anew. The secret to Joanna’s work, however, is greater than the objects themselves: even when you have seen the works before, you are constantly delighted by their arrangement, since the objects come together to create site-specific installations. It is in numbers that the animals make their carnival happen, for Joanna responds to each space with sensitivity and wit so that the installations she creates never consume the space but always assume an irresistible presence.
Born in London in 1988, Joanna Mires graduated from the BA Ceramics course at Camberwell College of Arts in 2011.
