Alice Through the Looking Glass Item Number: 3424/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Ceramic sculpture of a book standing on end, opened. The cover is decorated with dark blue flowers and swirling vines with a dark yellow spine. The front cover has a white rectangle, which reads 'Alice Through the Looking Glass / And What She Found There', with a black and white drawing of Alice with her hands held together behind her back, looking away. Leaning against the back cover is a figure of a Jabberwocky or dragon-like creature, with its long neck and wing draped over the top of the book, and its other wing and claws reaching around the side. Within, the open pages have a heavily crosshatched drawing of a room with an armchair off to one side, and a fireplace mantel on the other. The upper corners of each page curl forward, revealing writing from the book. Standing in front of the open book is a tall, bright green chest with many small red drawers, some of which are open and have various figures emerging (chess pieces, creatures, flowers). A figure of Alice in her blue dress, white apron and long blonde hair, is facing the dresser. Her face is seen reflected in the mirror on the chest. Next to her, sits a black cat with a red ribbon around its neck. The sculpture's base is a closed book with a dark red cover and dark green spine, which reads 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll. Illustrations by John Tenniel'.

Narrative

Raey was an artist in residence at MOA in 2019; this work references a ceramic work on display in the Koerner Ceramics Gallery, Ch213, a Slavik jewelry box in the shape of a chest of drawers.