Visual arts / Making a Creative Life, Hiroe and Cornel Swen. At Canberra Museum and Gallery, until March 16 . Reviewed by KERRY-ANNE COUSINS.

Hiroe Swen (b.1934) and Cornel Swen (1930-2022) have been part of the Canberra art scene for many years.

Their art gallery near Queanbeyan played an important part in the life of Canberra. Although sadly Cornel died in 2022, Hiroe continues to be active in the world of ceramics. This exhibition at Canberra Museum and Gallery is an acknowledgement of both these creative artists and an affectionate tribute to their long productive partnership.

In the exhibition their two lives devoted to the arts and each other come alive via their own words, photographs, news items, catalogues and artworks. Cornel Swen was born in the Netherlands. His studies at the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam equipped him with skills in graphic design that were to stand him in good stead when he migrated to Australia in search of a brighter future.

In 1956 he established his own graphic design studio in Sydney where he developed a range of prestigious clients. On a holiday in Japan in 1966 he met Hiroe Tokebe and so began their personal and creative partnership.

Hiroe Tokebe was born in Japan. Her family textile business specialised in kimono fabrics and she became proficient in batik design and production. A severe illness caused her to direct her creativity to ceramics – a field not usual for female artists in Japan at that time.

In 1968 Hiroe and Cornel arrived in Sydney from Japan but professional job opportunities meant they relocated to Canberra. In 1973 they established the Pastoral Gallery on a rural block near Queanbeyan which they ran successfully until 2003.

Cornel is represented in the exhibition by examples of the professional graphic work that he did for clients and government agencies. His diagrammatic design of the layout of streets in the developing new Canberra suburbs is echoed in Hiroe’s large ceramic vessel Canberra Route c.1988, where it forms a decorative motif.

Another cross influence was Cornel’s interest in batik, an art form previously practised by Hiroe. The group of batiks with designs of Australian animals created by Cornel demonstrates his skill in this art form.

Meredith Hinchliffe, the guest curator, has brought together a judicious selection of Hiroe’s ceramics from across her art practice. Freed from a need to display the works chronologically, the ceramics have been grouped based on themes, decoration and style.

Hiroe’s works come from a response to nature and from a deep sensibility that reflects her life experiences. Her large organic ceramics are hand built using slab and coil techniques. Vase c.2000 is a large stoneware vase in the group, Wide skies and birds. It is decorated with a lyrical and energetic sweep of birds across its blue, glazed surface.

Another vessel Surfing Challenge c.1992 is decorated with a slash of blue-toned brushstrokes across the cream body of the vessel. Its theme echoes Hiroe’s love of the sea. Another work, Pisces 1988, illustrates her recurring interest in fish as her star sign but also as a reference to her Japanese culture. It is a beautiful work with the fish in gold lustre glaze against a dark background.

A group of larger works are a reminder of how Hiroe disregarded the injunction of her early years that women could not make large pots.

Her biggest vessel in the exhibition, called Fertile Sea 1975, makes a very powerful statement and must have been a challenge to make. It demonstrates her strong drive to follow her own creative ideas and overcome such prejudice. The fact that Cornel made her a helpful step so she could access the kiln with such large ceramic creations is a touching indication of their deep and supportive partnership over such a long and productive life together.