Best of: Marianne Huhn

Art Edit presents a selection of works from artists who use text in novel and creative ways. Erin Irwin writes.

Etching words and fragments of phrases directly into clay, Victorian artist Marianne Huhn utilises text within her work as a way of establishing immediacy between artist and audience. 

Text has been part of the artist’s practice for a long time: “When I was an undergraduate student in the 80s I came across an exhibition of Barbara Kruger’s work,” says the artist. “It was then I realised the power of words to engage”. Art is a forceful agent in creating dialogues, and Huhn has used words so that her art can talk back.

The words she uses come from a variety of places, though they are often sourced from her constant companion – her favourite Concise Oxford Dictionary. A dictionary holds a universe of meaning, from the funny to the weighty, to double meaning and wordplay. Some of her pieces contain whole sentences, while others have only fragments, relying on the graphic quality of the letters themselves to relay a message. This aesthetic choice leaves much to the audience’s own creative instincts to decipher, using both sight and touch to navigate the works. 

Most importantly, these ceramics are made to be used, meaning that the thoughts and reflections of the artist are woven into the everyday lives of her audience. Huhn’s eloquent works quite literally allow her audience to hold a conversation in their hands.

Above: Marianne Huhn, scrabble letters, 2022. Limoges porcelain with black oxide, 2cm x 2cm. Photo: Deb Garett Photography. Courtesy: the artist.