"All My Friends"Book

Misha Milovanovich, 

"FAMILY" 2016-2020

Book about studio ceramics by artist, Misha Milovanovich

In 2009 the art critic Roberta Smith wrote in New York Times that ceramics has “one of the richest histories of any medium on the planet”. “It can’t be said enough that art-craft divide is a bogus concept regularly obliterated by individuals that call them selves artist, designers or artisans. Connecting something deep within the earth and something deep in our collective memory.” Misha’s new body of work sees her using ceramics to create an array of brightly coloured, sometimes figurative pieces that blur the line between sculpture and painting. They are most definitely hand made, very personal in their creation and their intent. Each piece holds a distinct meaning - an emotional charge that connects to Misha’s emotional and intellectual evolution. There are pieces named after the heroes of Western philosophy - Plato, Sartre and Picasso that share a friendly and joyous demeanour (Sartre looks like a penguin splattered by De Kooning - Plato a vase wearing the expression of a startled cat). To Misha these historical figures are her friends and family - they’re people she turns to, people she can rely on and who she loves. There are colored plates with small expressions drawn on them - big smiles, curious frowns, surprised eyebrows. There are anthropomorphic vases that exude warmth and humour and others that nod to Basquiat and Mondrian. Everything here is biography - lived experience, learned technique, jokes, memories and eulogies. It’s totally coherent and openly diverse - it embraces life and celebrates the connectedness of things. Art, ideas, family and friends are her companions, her co- conspirators and she clearly loves them all.