Tamar Mason

I use clay, found objects and cattle horns as some of my mediums. Sculptural clay figures and vessels are hand built, using the traditional coiling technique favoured by women in Africa for centuries. Wax, ochre's and oxides and spices such as turmeric are rubbed into kiln fired sculptures and vessels whilst others are pit fired. Some of the vessels are rendered "useless" by being drilled with holes and being studded with upholstery pins. In this way, clay is removed from its traditional domestic domain and used as a "fine art" material.

The engraved cattle horns and skulls refer to cattle as a symbol of wealth and prestige in Africa. By engraving the cattle skulls they become a form of meditating on contemporary social and political issues such as abuse, handbags, 'shut up and shop' and forming an identity out of diverse fragments. Street graffiti, co-opting of cultural artefacts and the contrasts between urban and rural experiences are the things that energise and excite me about working and living in this mad country.

I am facinated by the perimeters set by society for behaviour of the feminine and the masculine, African and non-African. The symbolism of the knife, cowrie shell, cattle horns and grass brooms link these issues in my work.

The clay vessel reflects women as a vessel for life; both nurture, both contain milk and blood and both are strong yet fragile." The use of upholstery pins in the vessels are both tactile and visually appealing. On the top, they are smooth and shiny. On the bottom they are sharp and can pierce one.

Since 2004 I have focussed my ceramic work on creating figures that are between 80cm to 2m high. These figures are all female (the one male figure that I worked on was a failure) and represent further explore the issues that I worked with in my vessels.

From 1988 to 2003 I worked with community art and craft projects all over Southern Africa. In 1998 - 2000 I led a team of thirty women from Kwaggafontein (Mpumalanga) to collaborate with a group of women from Ekulendeni (Mpumalanga) to carry out a 35m x 3.25m wall hanging for the Legislature Assembly Chamber at the Legislature buildings in Nelspruit (the first government complex to be built in the new South Africa). The brief was to tell the history of the province from the first signs of life found in fossils around the town of Barberton to the establishment of a democratic government in South Africa. The wall hanging is made up of embroidery, appliqué, wirework and beadwork.

In 2005/06 I was commissioned by the Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand to create eleven 2m x 4.5m embroidery and beadwork panels. The brief was to tell the story of the history of the Bushmen/San using imagery from contemporary Bushman artwork as well as from Rock paintings and engravings. Emma Mnguni and her team from Kwaggafontein helped with the stitching and beadwork. The work is on fabric and combines beadwork, embroidery, fabric paint and brass safety pins.

In 2007 I was commissioned by the Graham Beck Wine Estate in Franschhoek to do a large panel (6 m x 2.5m) for the foyer of the winery.