[The Guardian] Traditional china serving up the big issues of today – in pictures

Traditional china serving up the big issues of today – in pictures

Blue and white transferware plates were hugely popular in the 19th century for their bucolic pastoral scenes. Over the past 30 years, artist Paul Scott, who lives in Cumbria, has updated the medium to address some very modern issues: the climate emergency, the refugee crisis, tensions in the Middle East. ‘The original genre depicts a colonial, imperialist view of the world,’ he says. ‘My concern has been to rebalance the narrative with something more contemporary and inclusive.’

Using a mix of antique and specially commissioned plates, he refires the ceramics to let his prints sink into the glaze. ‘I can raise issues people don’t expect to see on blue and white plates: they are surprised, and it makes them look again at historic pieces.’

• Cumbrian Blue(s) is at Lakeland Arts, Kendal, until 2 January

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