Craft / “Home”, Gallery of Small Things, Watson. Until March 6.  Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.

THESE ceramic sculptures encourage viewers to develop a narrative – about the people who might live in them and what world the miniature dwellings belong to.

Using a limited number of elements, Grace Brown, from Melbourne, has created a range of “block-y” objects that are no more than 15 centimetres in any direction. They are precise, hinting at a mathematical approach.

Brown was awarded a solo show in the Little Things Art Prize organised by Marnie Ross. Anne Masters, of Gallery of Small Things, (held in 2020) was asked to be one of the judges, with the show being one of the prizes in the ceramics section.

I find they have a distinct influence of some of the well-known stupas in India, with hemispherical domes, and Moorish architecture, with arched doorways and windows, and steep steps.

In addition to free-standing sculptures, Brown is also showing small panels which hang on the wall. They represent a two-dimensional view of the sculptural “buildings”.

Using different clay bodies, such as terracotta and stoneware, and black mid-fire clay, and off-white glazes Brown is showing a cohesive group of ceramics. “Desert Shrine” in terracotta fits neatly into a corner, and the dome sits at the top of a set of steps. The warm colour of terracotta highlights the appearance of Moorish architecture.

The artist has applied a lava glaze on terracotta on two works, replicating the textural and weathered surface seen on rocks, ancient monuments and abandoned buildings.

Peeping into these small buildings, one sees the structure inside. We know they have been constructed with care and thought.

Viewers are told that a driving question in Brown’s work has been how the experiences of being displaced from one’s home can be used to help reimagine and redefine the significance of home, place and community, and shared history through sculpture.

These small sculptures take viewers to the different worlds of our individual imaginations.