Plant Dreaming Deep features a series of new sculptural and video works that mediate on the transformational effect of “putting down roots.” In this context, we cast the 130lbs of clay that Ruais uses for each sculpture as a plot of land mapped by her own body, and the encircled locations, torn holes, and peeled back surfaces as metaphorical openings for seeds/growth.
Employing gestures like spreading, pushing, scraping and peeling back clay, Ruais’ large-scale circular wall works address dualisms between absence and presence, internal and external, trauma and healing. Reflecting this, the exterior of Scraping the Surface, 130lbs is heavily glazed, marked, and tread upon, while the peeled back swathes are nude, or unglazed, pink and terracotta clay, recalling a raw bodily interior.
The land is imbedded in Ruais’ work both conceptually and materially. In addition to the foundational role of clay in her practice, pieces from the land—such as dirt or sand —are often visible on the surfaces of the sculptures. Many of the circular works contain holes, or imprints of the artist’s hands pulling clay out from the centre, referencing the act of digging and planting seeds in the earth for restoration and healing.
-Cooper Cole, Toronto, ON, CA
