Paul Maseyk is a distinct voice in contemporary ceramics in Aotearoa. While on the one hand his work speaks to the history of ceramics and ceramic techniques; the other hand determinedly raises a sly middle finger to conventionality as he deftly navigates between ceramics, painting, and sculpture.

Some works are more totems than vessels, their sheer size and scale demanding attention. Others almost threaten to topple over, their weight and structure seeming to defy the laws of gravity. A rather unsettling pair of large vase shaped works, Eye See You (Black) and Eye See You (White), are punctuated with holes and inset with floating eyeballs; actively resisting their possible function as water-holding vessels, while offering a humorous entry point to a series of bold op-art style paintings in black, white, and red.

While the formal qualities of these abstract geometric paintings owe much to the mid-century movement that saw artists producing work that played on optical effects and illusions, they also overtly acknowledge influences closer to home, including artists Gordon Walters and Colin McCahon. Maseyk ’s first Me painting was made over twenty years ago, and while the majority of his practice since has focused on ceramics – and the process of building, glazing, and firing – he has remained committed to and passionate about the practice and immediacy of painting on canvas.