A new exhibition titled “Surface and Structure: Contemporary Ceramics at the Edge of Form” will open on January 30, 2024, at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The exhibition will be on display until March 28, 2024, and features works from faculty and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University, and the University of Akron.
The exhibition aims to redefine the boundaries of ceramic sculpture by focusing on clay as a structural and architectural medium rather than merely a decorative or functional material. The opening reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the launch date, allowing attendees to engage with the artwork and converse with the artists. Entry is free, and parking is available on site.
Grace Chin, executive director of The Sculpture Center, commented on the exhibition’s purpose, stating, “These works resist being polite or perfected. The artists embrace instability, excess, and visual tension, allowing clay to become expressive, physical, and sometimes deliberately uncomfortable.”
The showcased pieces challenge traditional perceptions of ceramics, featuring characteristics such as collapse, asymmetry, and surface tension. This exploration emphasizes how imperfections and instabilities can serve as creative forces rather than flaws.
Among the artists featured in the exhibition are regional talents such as Seuil Chung, Kristen Cliffel, PJ Hargraves, Drew Ippoliti, Peter Christian Johnson, Anna Kruse, Eva Kwong, Keenan O’Toole, Seth Nagelberg, and Phil Soucy. Their collective works suggest architectural concepts in a state of flux, with clay that folds, leans, and stretches under its own weight, challenging the notion of ceramics as tidy or contained.
This exhibition promises to provide a thought-provoking experience, inviting visitors to reconsider their understanding of ceramics in the contemporary art landscape.
