Molly Holland

You never leave me, 2023

Buff raku trachyte, white grog paper clay, mixed glazes, resin, cardboard drums

Artist Reflection:

'You never leave me' reflects the energy stored physically in my body by the mental experience of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and the way this lived experience draws me to working with clay. Within myself I am constantly moving, fidgeting, grabbing, chewing, fiddling, shaking, and picking. Through touching clay, I have begun to understand myself, the clay directly touches my hands and through this I channel the constant memory of my mind and body feeling tense and restless. Clay is an outlet that has allowed me to create materialisations of physical gestures which are embodiments of my mind- desperately reaching at tethers for some sort of comfort or reassurance. My work slides down an incline, resin spills from the insides of the imprints of my grasping hand, alluding to the way obsessive compulsive disorder makes me feel like I am never in control.