Ceramist Leonia McKoy’s recently hosted a solo exhibition. Patrons said that the showing was long overdue as this was only her second solo presentation over the past two decades. Guests said her work is a timely, inspired, and valued display that shows immense consistency and skill.
One of the dominant visual elements in McKoy’s oeuvre were butterflies, which have been a staple in the artist’s inspiration for the past decade. Butterflies first appeared in Leonia’s work around 2015. The process by which caterpillars are transformed into the beautifully patterned master pollinators has always resonated with and inspired McKoy.
One of her butterfly-inspired works is Enclosed with Treasure, which is a reminder that while we may not always be able to see the end result, we should enjoy the process and the seemingly lopsided outcomes that may be part of that process. Fighting Extinction, another butterfly-inspired vessel, is a bold reminder of the fact that life is fragile and that we must take steps to observe, appreciate, understand, and preserve the existence of even the smallest of the creatures that make up our ecosystems. The role of the butterfly, like many small creatures, is misunderstood, ignored, or undervalued in our society.
Her work included a collection of stoneware wall pieces that are infused with feminine forms though appearing at first glance to be visually akin to bottles. The artist does not see them as bottles, however, and prefers that we refer to these forms as abstract representations of standing ladies. As symbolic representations of womanhood, these standing figures are similar in their silhouettes but quite different in their formal appearances. Like the women in our society, McKoy uses the work to remind us that no two women are alike though women will have shared characteristics.
Textures of Femininity asks us to rethink our association of the feminine with specific colours, textures, and traits. The use of dark-brown and blue-grey hues as well as rough visual textures are not consistent with the stereotypes of women as soft, passive, and graceful. The visual features of this work resonate with masculine stereotypes such as aggression, loudness, and boldness. Another work in the series, Bullets of Defence, is a stoneware creation that harkens back to the stories of strong Jamaican heroines such as Nanny of the Maroons, who was known for her skilful opposition of British military forces in 18th-century Jamaica.
McKoy indicated that her mission is to use her creativity to add value to our visual spaces. Her stoneware ceramics combine beauty and concept to instil values in our communal spaces.