Vipoo Srivilasa
Photo: Zan Wimberley
Thai-born Australian artist Vipoo Srivilasa, recognised as a leading figure in contemporary ceramics, is currently presenting re/JOY at Liverpool Powerhouse, bringing together a series of large-scale ceramic sculptures that explore migration, memory, culture and belonging.
Presented in Liverpool Powerhouse’s Kids & Families Gallery, re/JOY is a major exhibition that honours the diverse migration stories of people from around the world who have made Australia home. The exhibition is the largest and most significant project of Srivilasa’s practice to date, bringing together eight monumental ceramic works inspired by the personal stories and treasured objects of migrants to Australia.
At the heart of re/JOY is the idea that ordinary objects can carry extraordinary emotional weight. Srivilasa worked with seven participants, each of whom shared a broken or significant object connected to their migration journey, family, culture or memories of home. These objects became the starting points for elaborate ceramic sculptures that transform personal histories into fantastical, highly decorative forms.
The resulting works are rich with symbolism. Broken teapots, bowls, tiles, cups and ceramic plates are incorporated into larger figurative sculptures, alongside imagery drawn from the participants’ lives and cultural backgrounds. Through these details, Srivilasa creates complex narratives that reward close observation, with elements of each story often concealed within the sculptures’ highly decorated surfaces.
The exhibition includes stories of migration from Mexico, South Korea, Denmark, England, Hong Kong, El Salvador and India. Each participant’s experience is different, encompassing themes of family, cultural disconnection, resilience, adaptation and the creation of a new life in Australia. Yet the works are united by the significance of objects carried across borders and preserved as tangible connections to people, places and memories.
One of the works, Tree of New Life, draws on the story of Emiliano, who migrated from Mexico City to Sydney in 2011. His traditional Mexican Tree of Life, given to him by his aunt as a farewell gift, was chipped during his journey to Australia. Srivilasa transformed the broken object into a new Tree of Life with an expansive root system symbolising Emiliano’s settlement in Australia, accompanied by a small altar representing his new life with his Australian partner.
In Handle with Care, a broken porcelain teapot belonging to Jooyun, who migrated from South Korea, becomes the centre of a large pregnant teapot deity. The sculpture incorporates imagery from Jooyun’s life in Australia, including the fruits she picked after arriving and a small golden gumtree representing her decision to become Australian.
The exhibition also turns to Srivilasa’s own migration story. Having migrated from Bangkok to Melbourne in 1996, the artist created an eighth sculpture, Dance of Dreams, based on a blue and white porcelain button that belonged to his grandmother. The button evokes his childhood relationship with his grandmother and her encouragement of his love of Thai traditional performance, while the sculpture brings together his past dreams, present passions, friendships and experiences in Australia.
This personal connection is central to Srivilasa’s wider practice. His work often addresses complex questions of queerness, migration and spiritual meaning through an aesthetic that is playful, accessible and beautiful. Beneath the intricate decoration and whimsical, zoomorphic forms are narratives exploring cultural identity, displacement, connection and the experience of creating a life between cultures.
Rather than presenting migration solely through hardship, re/JOY embraces the complexity of the experience. The exhibition’s stories acknowledge isolation, nostalgia and cultural disconnection while also celebrating hope, resilience, creativity, family and the new memories created through migration. As the exhibition’s education material describes it, re/JOY is a joyful, playful and hopeful project that captures a rich tapestry of humanity.
Through its combination of monumental ceramic sculpture, personal objects and deeply individual stories, re/JOY offers a thoughtful exploration of what we carry with us when we leave home - and how those objects, memories and traditions continue to shape who we become.
re/JOY is an Australian Design Centre (ADC On Tour) national touring exhibition, presented with assistance from the Australian Government Visions of Australia program and Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. The Visions of Australia regional exhibition touring program supports audience access to Australian arts and cultural material, with a particular focus on tours to regional and remote Australia.
We gratefully acknowledge Liverpool Powerhouse for hosting this exhibition and Silversalt Photography for the photography.
Read more about the re/JOY exhibition here.
