Reliquary #1, 2017

This Reliquary expresses key aspects of John O’Loughlin’s ceramic practice with its press moulded surface embellished with flowers and architectural elements focused around an impression of St John the Baptist depicted as an angel. The verdigris glaze immediately evokes something age worn and historic. Tactile and beautiful.

O’Loughlin’s work often turns to questions of faith, stemming from his Catholic upbringing and its enduring focus on miracles, the afterlife, and the ‘Cult of the Saints'. These personal reflections take form in reliquaries, shrines, and ceremonial vessels, each a tangible meditation on his central question: Do I believe in miracles?

Surface is a vital element in his approach. Using crusting and crazing engobes, he achieves textures reminiscent of objects unearthed from archaeological sites, evoking an historical past.