Bisila Noha is a ceramicist who draws influences from her Spanish and Equatorial Guinean heritage. Noha aims to challenge Western views on art and craft, questioning what is typically understood as productive and worthy in capitalist societies. She also reflects on the idea of home and unity, inspired by personal experiences in various pottery communities. Her practice encompasses wheel-thrown pieces, distinguished by the addition of marbled slip decoration, as well as sculptural pieces created with various throwing methods such as coiling and carving. As a result, Noha creates abstract landscapes and forms as she seeks to establish a deeper, more spiritual connection with her roots and the artisans who preceded her in history. The four acquired works are an homage to African women potters who are often overlooked. Réunion XV is a terracotta vessel from Noha’s series, Searching for Kouame Kakahá: A celebration of the unnamed women of clay; our shared mothers and grandmothers'. Noha was enthralled by images of two-legged vessels that circulated on the internet, with no clear artist name attached. Moments later, Noha discovered that these works were by Kouame Kakahá, a contemporary female potter from Tanou Sakassou (Ivory Coast). Noha embarked on a journey to connect with the Ivorian potter, finally meeting her at the Pottery Cooperative in Tanou Sakassou. The other three pieces, which are a part of Noha’s Brumas series, are large thrown stoneware plates adorned with white and black slip marbling. The three plates are a representation of the Spanish word ‘bruma’, meaning ‘haze’ as they straddle the line between landscape and the abstract. For Noha, the Brumas collection was born of a desire to free her practice from the act of doing, rather encouraging to embrace a state of being. Nottingham City Museums & Galleries has been collecting studio pottery since the early 20th Century, building up a large collection. Working towards redressing the cultural and racial imbalances, it aims to represent the local community in its current pottery collection more accurately. Aiming to acquire new work that pushes the boundaries of working with clay, the Museum honours the historical traditions of studio pottery. Thus, the acquisition of Noha’s stoneware will relate to the current pottery collection and establish connections with the wider fine and decorative art collections.
