A fascinating exploration of life through femininity is on display at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum.

Kathy Venter’s life-sized ceramic sculptures meet your gaze curve after curve, imbued with intensity, emotion and authenticity.

Stories surround in this exhibition, whispered just beneath the surface until they almost echo in the room, and inspiring thoughts of ancient fertility goddesses and everyday goddesses alike. From birth to girl to mother, the cycles intertwine.

Sitting, standing, reclining and drifting, there are philosophers, teachers, athletes, partners, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. A few male figures are also part of the “Immersion” series, captivating through their own angles, curves and complementary beauty.

I kept expecting them to somehow move – or to say something – as I meandered through the crowd, and ultimately, they did. They spoke the art of the human form and the language of human experience, gathered from our collective community in past, present and future.

Toward the end, I found her – the one most like me, or at least my perception of myself.

Astonishing.

For more information:  http://www.gardinermuseum.on.ca/exhibition/kathy-venter-life