ARTIST STATEMENT
John Bauer searches through the flotsam and jetsam of the many cultures that have come to Cape Town—a city that acts as a magnet for people and their dreams. They arrive, each bringing a piece of home—something they identify with and that, in turn, identifies them with their homeland.
John gathers these cultural signifiers and orchestrates them into a symphony of diplomatic vibrance. No matter where in the world you come from, when you stand before his work, you will see something that resonates with you. You feel welcome.
The academic and the intellectual feel at home, as does the pedestrian who stumbles upon it, unaware of what they are seeing or why it is there. It requires no thesis; the porcelain itself is a palimpsest—a re-recording of all the civilizations upon whose shoulders we stand.
Each tile is its own testament. Like a choir of voices, the work forms a harmonious, even demure, whole. Yet upon closer exploration, it reveals its many diverse and exhilarating individual parts—never referencing a single historical technique, but paying homage to all of history.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
John Bauer is a ceramicist with work featured in two national museums and exhibitions both locally and internationally. He was the winner of the CSA Corobrik National Ceramic Biennial Premiere Award in 2022.
John’s unique neurology fosters innovation and collaboration, allowing him to push the boundaries of porcelain. He has reverse-engineered Song Dynasty technology and invented a printing technique on porcelain, which he coined “dioroid.” This method uses a responsive emulsion infused into the clay body to capture images of ambient objects.
Each tile panel is composed of one-of-a-kind, matchbox-sized tiles that together form a treasure trove of cultural and natural artifacts, stories, and emotions.
John has also created public installations in and around Cape Town, which he calls “people’s museums” or “The Rubbing Route.” These interactive works invite people to touch the pieces and even create their own art by placing a sheet of paper or foil over a tile and rubbing it with a pencil to “lift” the image.
