Raku fired ceramic sculptural birds and bird houses by Linda Davy and oils and watercolours by Soraya Takalou that bring to life classic Persian mythology make up the latest show at Mawson Gallery. 

Linda, a graduate of the ANU’s School of Art, has been an artist for 22 years, with a string of solo and group exhibitions to her credit. 

“The garden outside my workshop and the birds that fly in it are the inspiration for this body of work that celebrates the joy that they give to me when I am pursuing my love of clay in the workshop. Raku ceramics is my chosen medium when making sculptural work. 

“Clay offers a malleability that I enjoy, and the raku firing process (fast firing) is very exciting because of the energy that it requires and the beautiful range of colours and effects that are achievable.” 

Linda has a background in painting, sculptural leather construction, textiles, furniture making and teaching. She also has a great interest in working with  community groups and has been “artist in residence” for the Majura Womens  Group and Macquarie Primary School. 

In 2005 she received an ACT Children's Week Award. “I want to continue working with others to achieve work which would otherwise be difficult to make and to continue blending my knowledge of ceramics with fields outside of mine.”

Soraya Takalou studied at Teheran’s Behzaad College of the Arts and at Tehran University before moving to Australia as a young adult. Through her paintings in oil and water colours, she strives to express her fascination of  the rich tradition of Persian fairytales such as the 1001 Nights that she heard as a child. 

In this latest exhibition she portrays scenes from Iran’s national epic, the Shahnameh (or Book of Kings) composed by 10th century poet Firdowsi.  The Shahnameh has been described as the crown jewel of Persian literature and is cherished by all Iranians (including  non-Persian ethnic groups) and Persian speaking societies of Afghanistan, Tajikestan and Central Asia.  The work tells the mythical and historical past of Iran from the creation of the world up until the country’s Islamisation in the 7th century.

“The characters are fictional and I display them in a world of fantasy with a splash of reality. They are painted from my heart for people to enjoy and to walk away from feeling happy,” Soraya said.  

The exhibition begins at MAWSON GALLERY, 63 Wilkins Street, Mawson on 12 April and runs to 7 May.  Opening hours are 10.30am – 5.30pm Wednesday to Saturday or by appointment anytime.  Phone 6161 2177,  mobile 0438 473 902.

It will be opened at 6.30 pm, April 12 by Domenic Mico, Artistic Director of the National Multicultural Festival.

High resolution photographs are available at www.mawsongallery.com/hi-res2.html

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