CLEO MUSSIBOODY WARE

The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present Boody Ware - a solo exhibition from Cleo Mussi.

Cleo studied textiles at Goldsmiths College, London where her interest in recycled fabrics, knowledge of pattern, print, weave and stitch led her into working with reclaimed ceramic.

Cleo has created an installation of life size figurative elements re-formed from ceramic discard. She has drawn influences from genetics, economics and sustainable organisations and the resulting exhibition is a story - in the traditional sense of Folk Art - reflecting the world that we live in whilst connecting to bygone days. In this exhibition we come across a mysterious mosaic world.

CLEO MUSSI: BOODY WARE

2 - 30 APRIL 2016

“Over the last thirty years I have been creating works from old crockery. It is interesting to observe how the descriptions of what I am making have changed and evolved with the fashions. In the early 1990s I was salvaging china from ceramic dumps in Stoke, but gradually this became recycling as environmental issues became more prominent. What was seen as junk is now vintage, something more desirable once it has been up-cycled, reclaimed, reworked and reformed.

Mosaic made from ceramic discard is an old concept. In the early 19th century, the term ‘Boody’ or ‘Boudy’ appears in the Northumberland dialect to donate a piece of broken china.

Originally collected and used as playthings for children, by the late 19th century, ‘Boody Ware’ was used to decorate plates, jugs, vases and boxes and became quite the fashion. I think of myself as a modern day folk artist, so ‘Boody Ware’ is a perfect description for the technique I use.

All Consuming, Nature Recycles Everything and Sucking The Gut are a comment and observation on man’s evolution within our environment and our impact on the environment and each other as we desire to collect and consume. We go through a narrative of life size figures exploring energy consumption, agricultural practice, and finally the savings banks for the Genome.” Cleo Mussi, 2016

“To market, to market With my little basket

To buy bonds and shares And a homogenized franchise

To market, to marketTo buy a free market With plenty of debt And fictional targets.

What ‘sports’are we To hunt and gather

‘For too much of a good thing Is not a good thing’ at all.”

Cleo Mussi, 2016

All Consuming, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H113 x W72 cms£4,500

Nature Recycles Everything, 2014found and discarded ceramicsH113 x W70 cms£4,500

“In a ‘silent Spring’, We the keepers of ‘spaceship earth’, are building life from the bottom up,

Where waste = food and Nature recycles everything.

Cleo Mussi, 2016

“In the age of giants Corporate junk science

Filter bubbles, Whilst sucking the guts

For greater GDP”Cleo Mussi, 2016

Sucking the Gut, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H113 x W94 cms£4,500

Large Collector’s Basket with Bee, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H72 x W53 cms£790

Left: Bombus Spiritus Johnson Brothers, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H22 x W30 cms£295

Right: Bombus Spiritus Snow White, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH22 x W30 cms£295

Below: Bombus Spiritus Staffordshire, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H22 x W30 cms£295

Shrine To Water, 2016found and discarded ceramicsW16 x D15 cms£145

Upper: Shrine To Birds, 2016found and discarded ceramics

H12 x W23 cms£165

Lower: Shrine To Flowering Plants, 2016found and discarded ceramics

H12 x W23 cms£165

Savings Bank - Butterflies, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H35 x W48 cms£635

Shrine To Insects, 2016found and discarded ceramics

D14 cms£145

Systema Lables: Butterflies and Moths (upper), Ants (middle), Flies (lower), 2016found and discarded ceramics with cottonH6 x W11 cms£45 each

Savings Bank - Beetles, 2016found and discarded ceramicsH35 x W48 cms£635

Large Bouquet in Blue, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H27 x W27 cms£365

Large Strange Fruit Branch, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH88 x W58 cms£790

Savings Bank - Birds, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H35 x W48 cms£635

Asparagus with Orange Binding, 2014found and discarded ceramicsH27 x W16 cms£245

Broccoli with Dots, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H21 x W14 cms£245

Corn Cob with Dark Kernel, 2014found and discarded ceramicsH28 x W10 cms£235

Cauliflower, 2014found and discarded ceramics

D20 cms£230

Homunculus Baby 2, with Circadian Clock, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H31 x W39 cms£420

Homunculus Baby 3, 2016found and discarded ceramicsH31 x W39 cms£420

Last Unified Common Ancestor, 2014found and discarded ceramics

H31 x W39 cms£420

My Little Basket DNA Kit, 2014found and discarded ceramicsH33 x W26 cms£390

Tussie Mussie 2, 2016found and discarded ceramics

H20 x W15 cms£195

Tussie Mussie 1, 2016found and discarded ceramicsH20 x W15 cms£195

Tussie Mussie 3, 2016found and discarded ceramics

H20 x W15 cms£195

Phrenological Head, Memories, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H38 x W33 cms£650

Dove With Blue Flowers, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H30 x W41 cms£485

Systema Lables:Bees (upper), Beetles (lower), 2016found and discarded ceramics with cottonH6 x W11 cms£45 each

Yellow Heart, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH15 x W11 cms£95

Red Heart, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH15 x W11 cms£95

Dove With Red Flowers, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH30 x W41 cms£485

Large Bird Fork Branch (detail), 2015found and discarded ceramics

H143 x W57 cms£790

Blue Heart, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH15 x W11 cms£95

Pink Heart, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH15 x W11 cms£95

White Heart, 2015found and discarded ceramicsH15 x W11 cms£95

Hand 1, 2016found and discarded ceramicsH19 x W11 cms£125

Cute Spaniel 1, 2016found and discarded ceramicsH20 x W13 cms£195

Cute Star 2, 2016found and discarded ceramics

H34 x W13 cms£230

Cute Piggy Soli 1, 2014found and discarded ceramicsH29 x W13 cms£230

Cute Dreams, 2015found and discarded ceramics

H28 x W11 cms£230

Left: Cute Space Panda, 2012found and discarded ceramics, H25 x W14 cms

£230

Right: No.3 Panda Pod, 2014found and discarded ceramics, H36 x W29 cms

£360

Left: Cute Space Lion, 2014found and discarded ceramics, H28 x W11 cms£230

Right: No.7 Lion Pod, 2014found and discarded ceramics, H42 x W31 cms£360

CLEO MUSSI b.1965

Education1985-1988 Goldsmiths College

Selected Solo Exhibitions2016 The Scottish Gallery, Boody Ware2016 Anthropologie, King’s Road, London, In The Gallery ‘Rabbit Manufactury2014 The Museum in the Park, Stroud, All Consuming2013 The Scottish Gallery, Mussi’s Magic Toy Shop2012 Corinium Museum, A Face Book 2009-12 Touring 8 venues, Pharma’s Market2008-11 Touring 6 venues, A - Z, A Hand Book2008 Egg, Knightsbridge, London, Mutants2007 Rochester Art Gallery, Bring In the Green2002-5 Touring 9 venues, The Crowd1992 Royal Festival Hall, London, Salvaged

Selected Public Commissions2015 Primrose Solar, London, Solar Man2007 3 Ways School, Glos. small niche scenes2005 St Thomas’s Hospital, London Wall panels.2005 BBC Radio Leicester & The Asian Network 64m2 2004 Gloucester Hospital, Panels for Maternity Unit2003 Fired Earth, Artist in Residence2001 John Lewis Partnership,Solihull,175sq.m. 1999 Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, 8sq.m. 1998 Colchester Hospital, 8sq.m, ‘Cool Zillij’,’ Arched Air’.1996 Co-Op Retail Services H.Q. figurines

Selected Public CollectionsCarlton TelevisionCrafts Council CollectionCo-Op Retail services HQ

Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition BOODY WARE2 - 30 April 2016

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