Earth on Their Hands is a show of ceramic vessels — and much more.
Renowned artist Elif Uras’s latest exhibition at Galerist, titled Earth on Their Hands, features sculptures, tablets, plates, and vases — a blend of wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramic works created in New York, alongside slip-cast pieces produced in İznik, the historic center of Turkish pottery since the Ottoman era.
RCQ asked Uras about the themes explored in the show. “The ceramic vessel is the most primal ceramic form, appearing at the dawn of human civilization,” she explained. “In his book The Great Mother, Jungian scholar Erich Neumann discusses the feminine archetype embedded in our collective unconscious and presents a formula: woman = vessel = body = world. I thought this formula distilled the essence of the show perfectly. Earth on Their Hands is about the vessel, the body, and the everyday labor that shapes, adorns, weaves, and fills them.”
“Thematically, I focused on female labor, communal solidarity, and mutual support,” she continued. “I traced the historical and symbolic relationship between Anatolian women and gold — not as a representation of patriarchal wealth or status, but as a tribute to the invisible, often unpaid labor of women.
Gilded female figures populate the surfaces of the works, engaged in acts of caregiving, domestic labor, agriculture, and heritage crafts such as weaving and pottery. By rendering these figures in gold and setting them in ceramic, I hope to elevate these undervalued activities into expressions of resilience and resistance, giving them a timeless and mythic presence.”
Uras finds the positive feedback on the show deeply rewarding. “I lived with these works in my head for over two years, so it was incredibly gratifying to finally install them as a cohesive body of work in a historic building in Istanbul,” she said. “I think the exhibition resonated with people not only because of its visual language, but also because it speaks to contemporary concerns and everyday life. During these extremely uncertain and difficult times, living with this work gave me both hope and joy, and I’m so happy to see that reflected back by viewers.”
Uras believes RC played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic vision, particularly through the presence of strong, independent-minded female role models. “It was at RC that my passion for art was truly sparked. I vividly remember the art studio as a magical and nurturing space — one that encouraged curiosity, experimentation, and self-expression. Maria Sezer and Nancy Atakan were incredible mentors, not only in their technical guidance but also in their commitment to critical thinking.”
