There’s something sacred about an art museum. It is a place where the closet-dreamers find a moment, even just a second, to become immersed in soulful inspiration. This year’s 9th National Ceramics Biennale hosted by the Potters Association of Namibia (PAN) drew a large crowd at its opening in Windhoek last month, but after the prizes had been handed out and the halls of the National Art Gallery dimmed to its usual quiet, the exhibition space once more became peaceful.

Text and photography by Nina van Zyl

It’s there, bereft of the noise of the outside world, the advertisements, the traffic, the notifications screaming to be swiped, that the breath deepens and the eyes roam slowly over the ceramic works, savouring texture, colour, form. “We are increasingly being catapulted into this cyber age of information overload. Making contemplative and utilitarian objects by hand forms a necessary antidote,” said the Biennale’s International Judge, Clementina van der Walt. “Handcrafted ceramics, as we all practise, is very particular as it involves both technical skill and knowledge but most importantly, the human spirit.”

And spirit there was in droves. This year saw a total of 44 entrants, who submitted 281 pieces to the event. Of these, some came from as far as the Zambezi Region, where Mrs Janet Motota in conjunction with Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) collected ceramics made by the local community, which were couriered down to Windhoek courtesy of PAN and entered into the competition.

The hall is dotted with stands showcasing the expert skill of John Hunter and Jacqui Jansen van Vuuren, the stunning sculptures of Rosa Julia Smit, Mitchell Gatsi and Annabelle Venter, and creations splashed with bright colours. However, viewed as a collective, it is clear that there is a thread of the organic, of nature, that links all the pieces. Pottery is, after all, made from the four elements: earth, fire, water and air.