New Pottery Exhibition Explores Legacy Of New Zealand Ceramics

The iconic work of renowned New Zealand potters, the late Bruce and Estelle Martin, will be featured in a new Hastings Art Gallery exhibition alongside work by up-and-coming potters inspired by the Martins’ legacy.

Burning Ground: The kilns of Bruce and Estelle Martin in conversation with Scott Brough and Holly Morgan opens to the public on Saturday 30 August. It brings together historical and contemporary ceramics in a tribute to the Martins, who were studio potters and cultural advocates, based in Heretaunga Hastings.

Kamaka Pottery was the name Bruce (1925-2023) and Estelle (1930-2001) gave to the everyday pottery they produced from the 1960s-1990s. Their home in Bridge Pa, built in 1970 and designed by architect John Scott, is a Category 1 historic place. It is an iconic example of modernist architecture.

On the property the Martins built two anagama (wood-fired) kilns, one of them the largest of its kind in New Zealand. Their work at the property was hugely influential in the national ceramic community, pioneering the use of anagama pottery and spreading knowledge of Japanese ceramics nationwide.

The kilns were last used by the Martin family in the early 2000s. Two decades later, the smaller kiln has been revived. Over the past two years, contemporary potters Holly Morgan and Scott Brough have fired the kiln several times with the support of friends and family, producing new work for Burning Ground.

The exhibition includes Kamaka Pottery domestic ware, recent anagama-fired ceramics by Morgan and Brough, and archival material relating to the Martin family, the Kamaka brand, and the Martin house.

It also marks the 50th anniversary of the first exhibition held in Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga’s Main Gallery, curated by Bruce Martin in 1975.

Holly Morgan says the process has been a “wild ride”.

“Over 400 pots were made and Scott and I have pulled together our best 50-60 pieces which tell the story of sleepless nights, endless stoking, disappointment, elation, patience, learning, and collaboration,” she says.

“Kilns, especially wood kilns, are really unique and full of character, and to get the opportunity to fire a kiln that has got such a rich history and has been dormant for such a long time is really special,” Brough says.

Frances Martin, Bruce and Estelle’s granddaughter, now lives with her family at the John Scott- designed house built for her grandparents. She is the representative of her grandparents’ estate.

“I didn't want their legacy to be stagnant,” she says.

“I wanted it to have life in it. Hopefully people will see a story of community and people working together over time and of a legacy, not in a retrospective way but in a living way. I hope that we will get to make more connections with people who maybe crossed paths with Bruce and Estelle at some point, because I'm missing a lot of those stories.”

Gallery Director Sophie Davis says the exhibition is a fitting way to mark the 50th anniversary of the gallery’s largest exhibition space, which first opened in 1975 with a show curated by Bruce Martin.

“Bruce and Estelle were passionate advocates for the civic importance of an art gallery in Hawke’s Bay, and this anniversary offers a special chance to honour their legacy. Frances Martin and I first began talking about this exhibition in 2022, and it has since taken shape through a collective curatorial process with Frances, her whānau, and the artists. Working alongside our Assistant Curator Kurumi Kido and Heretaunga Hastings-based artist Asaki Kajima has enriched the exhibition in speaking to the Martins’ deep connections to Japanese pottery traditions and aesthetics.

“Burning Ground shows how art galleries can connect past, present, and future. It coincides with solo exhibitions at the Gallery by local artists Vanessa Arthur and Yasmin Dubrau, making this a celebratory moment with the entire gallery filled with Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay art and artists.”

Burning Ground runs until 15 November.

Note:

All are welcome to the exhibition opening on Friday, 29 August at 5.30pm.

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