Works by Wellington's favourite potter, Katherine Smyth, go on display from 28 July at the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery in Katherine Smyth: A Survey. The exhibition brings together works made over the last sixteen years, the earliest of which date from when Smyth was a student and the most recent were made just this year. "Putting this show together has been a lovely excuse to chase up some of my favourite pieces from the past," says Smyth. "People have been great about lending work. I feel lucky!"Works by Wellington's favourite potter, Katherine Smyth, go on display from 28 July at the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery in Katherine Smyth: A Survey. The exhibition brings together works made over the last sixteen years, the earliest of which date from when Smyth was a student and the most recent were made just this year. "Putting this show together has been a lovely excuse to chase up some of my favourite pieces from the past," says Smyth. "People have been great about lending work. I feel lucky!"Among Smyth's best-known works are those from the Fruit series, which came about after a 2004 trip to the Middle East. She had seen an ancient Cypriot opium pot in the form of an inverted poppy head and decided to begin making small jugs in the form of the locally grown fruit. Smyth's most recent series, Squash, seems to follow on from these works. While not directly referencing fruit and vegetables, their forms are reminiscent of dried-out striped gourds used as water vessels or containers.

Towards the entrance of the exhibition, visitors will see four bowls called Kuan ware, which refers to the glaze - widely used in the Chinese Song Dynasty. As a ceramics student in Sydney, Smyth became interested in making pieces which were beautiful, sparking an investigation into traditional Chinese pottery.

When: 28 July - 26 August 2007
Where:Michael Hirschfeld Gallery,
City Gallery Wellington, Civic Square, Wellington
Admission: Free

23/7/07