CreatorPhil GreedTitlecalx_what goes aroundDate2025MediumCeramics, coralDimensionsH. 130mm x W. 1220mm x D. 1220mmArtist StatementMy work explores the quiet intimacy of still life through the lens of material transformation, with a focus on calcium and calcium carbonate — substances that bridge the biological and the geological. These works are meditations on aging, loss, and the emotional weight of the inanimate. Ceramics, with their fragility and permanence, become vessels of reflection — holding space for my mother, for memory, for the golden years slipping into silence. Each piece carries a poignant echo of the body, a quiet homage to the maternal and the mortal. Through tactile surfaces and organic forms, I invite viewers to pause and consider how time etches itself into matter. In this way, my work becomes a slow, tender archaeology of life lived, lost, and remembered.Accession NumberG2025.7.1Access AdviceFor research purposes only. No reproduction without permission of Yarrila Arts and Museum.
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Significance Statement
Phil Greed’s work spans both sculptural and functional ceramics, often blurring the line between utility and art. His pieces carry emotional resonance, rooted in personal memory and the natural world. For calx_what goes around, Greed has worked with calcium and calcium carbonate — substances found in bone, shell, and stone — to bridge the biological and the geological, crafting intimate still lifes that speak to aging, loss, and the emotional gravity of the inanimate.
Each vessel becomes a site of remembrance, a tender archive of the maternal and the mortal. Fragile yet enduring, the ceramic forms echo the human body in their textures and contours, inviting viewers to reflect on how time inscribes itself into matter.
As both an artist and a long-serving ceramics teacher at TAFE Coffs Harbour, Greed brings a deep commitment to material exploration and mentorship, shaping not only clay but generations of emerging makers.
[Written by Vanessa Jacobs, 18 September 2025]
Description
Still life assemblage of ceramic vessels in neutral tones, arranged in groupings around a fossil.
