Remember before the pandemic, when we wondered why everything in design had started to look like the inside of a cave? Well, if a new exhibition at the Saint Cloche gallery in Sydney is any indication, maybe this is the point at which we begin to emerge. For a group show called Grotto, curator Kitty Clark asked the participating artists to interpret Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” (a relatively dark assignment, if you know the text, but perhaps it wasn’t to be taken so literally!) And yes, rather than wallow in the tales’ depths, the artists were meant to offer a bit of hope — to “open our eyes to new and loftier realms, a time portal between ancient earth wisdom, mythology, and crystalizing a vision for the evolution of a utopian future.” Visually, the works still feel relatively earthbound — especially the glazed stoneware vessels by artist Sallie Portnoy, one of our favorites in the bunch — but we appreciate any indication that this year might be one of transformation.