In The Shape of Becoming, Zyl Corrin explores the delicate intersection of memory, imagination, and transformation through clay-formed subjects inhabiting a realm of whimsy and quiet wonder. With endearing forms and dreamlike sensibilities, the artworks evoke the tenderness of childhood recollections while inviting a renewed appreciation for the fantastical within the familiar.

Defined by its capacity for malleability, clay serves as a fitting medium for examining the nature of becoming. Each creation emerges as an evocative presence, bearing traces of nostalgia while inhabiting an imaginative landscape unbound by ordinary conventions. Beneath the playful appearances lies a deeper meditation on the evolution of memory, the persistence of wonder, and the enduring influence of cherished objects on the inner life.

Rather than merely revisiting the past, Corrin reinterprets it as fluid and ever-evolving. Whimsy becomes an instrument of rediscovery, allowing familiar forms to acquire an unfamiliar charm, suspended between recollection and reverie.

Ultimately, The Shape of Becoming considers transformation as a continuous unfolding, encompassing both the shaping of material and the formation of identity through experience, remembrance, and possibility. Through these imaginative creations, Corrin presents becoming not as a definitive arrival, but as an open-ended process, shaped by the remnants of the past and the promise of what remains unrealized.

Text by Deseree Mapandi