Ceramic Research Paper
4~5 pages
Artist: Bruce M. Sherman
1.Biographical background on the artist
2.Information regarding their studio practice/conceptual framework. What is their work about? How long have they been practicing? What are some notable exhibitions?
3.Describe the ceramic techniques/materials they use.
4.Describe 2-3 of their works. You must include titles and if you like, images.
5.What references can you draw from their work that we might have discussed in our overview of ceramic history? How were they influenced by this history?
6.A list of reference citations.
I only have one source, you will need to find another source.
Oh-so
malleable
clay!
In studio with Bruce Sherman
text and interview by Layla Leiman
If you’ve read the Tom Robbins’ classic Skinny Legs and All you’ll no doubt recall
a certain group of animated inanimate objects which move and talk their way
through the tale. The same fantastical magic that breathes life into these objects,
and whispers through all of Tom Robbins’ fiction, inhabits the work of New York
City based artist, Bruce Sherman. Working primarily in ceramics, his compositions
are mystical and mysterious, playful and wry, and whimsical. They’re also just
down right beautiful. Vibrantly colorful, his sculptures are composed of hand-
rolled and shaped slabs that are joined together into totemic arrangements
.
Flat planes, cylinders and thrown forms are embellished with stylized features
and faces, resembling spirit forms from another dimension. Hands, eyes and
eggs, symbols of rebirth, renewal and consciousness, are common motifs in his
work. Describing his compositions as a “cast of characters”, Bruce’s sculptures
are at once endearing and appealing, but also a little bit strange. Who are these
creatures and where do they come from? His figurative constructions make us
wonder as we try and piece together the narrative that imbues them with life.
Bruce has exhibited in solo shows at White Columns in New York, South Willard
in Los Angeles and Kaufmann Repetto in Milan. He has also participated in
numerous group exhibitions across the United States. We visited him in studio to
find out about his approach to art, life and more.
www.brucemsherman.com
Featured image:
Bruce M. Sherman
Seeking Myself
glazed ceramic
18 x 8 x 5 inches
AMM: You’ve mentioned, and it is apparent, that
your work explores spirituality and a connection to
the natural world. Living and working in New York
City, do you find it possible to connect with these
ideas in your daily life and creative practice?
BS: Spirituality is a tricky word for it can
connote so many different ideas and points of
view. It does point to the impression that there
are finer and coarser energies. It’s a worthwhile
search to approach how to open up to more
vibrant energies which are apparently always
available to one whether in a busy metropolis
or the countryside. It’s somewhat a question
of wishing to be open. Certainly, it’s almost
automatic by the ocean at sunrise or sunset.
But it is possible to connect anywhere; so not
truly subject to place or time. I had a teacher
who said it’s a good place to be “in the center
of the cyclone”.
AMM: You’ve exhibited widely in the USA as well
as in Europe. What have been some of the turning
points or milestones in your career thus far?
BS: I’ve been so appreciative of the many
exhibition opportunities these last few years.
Having Matthew Higgs show my work at White
Columns at their space and at Independent Fair
a few years ago was a turning point for a much
wider exposure.
AMM: Your sculptures remind me of the troop of
inanimate objects that feature in Tom Robbins’ novel
Skinny Legs and All, alive with a magical life-force
that propels them into our world and blurs the line
between fantasy and so-called reality.
BS: I haven’t read “Skinny Legs and All”; I just
ordered a copy. The idea of magical forces does
attract me. There are hidden forces that do
enliven us.
AMM: Your compositions are really playful and
imaginative. What is your process? Is there much
experimentation in the way you work?
BS: It’s both satisfying and challenging to be
playful. Our imaginations are waiting to be
explored. Visual artists, musicians, writers and
many others in the creative realm are fortunate
to have a vehicle for expressing the inner child
in each one of us. Even Christ said “be as little
children”.
AMM: Color is a prominent feature in your work.
What appeals to you about this and how do you
develop your palettes for each work?
BS: I would surmise that the cave painters
would have used many colors if they were
available! Certainly the ancient Egyptian artists
and the Mayan artists did. In my work the large
palette of colors and surface/texture from gloss
to matte create effects that influence color. It’s
an effort to find the colors that seem right. I
have no set formula, but work intuitively. I do
re-fire certain pieces many times. A teacher
long ago said “to ask the pot what color(glaze)
it would like to be”.
AMM: What’s the relationship between your
drawings and your ceramics in your artistic
practice?
BS: Drawing is a way to focus and augment
focusing. It’s a time to be still and follow the
line and see where it goes. It is or can be very
intuitive, filled with unexpected surprises.
It’s an interesting unknowable journey. And
so is the work with the oh-so malleable clay;
especially in hand building and shaped slabs.
AMM: Conceptually, what are some of the ideas
you’re currently exploring in your work?
BS: Some ideas being explored:
To listen fully
Being open
Vanity
Prayer
Searching for finer energies (often through
humor)
Searching for my true Self
Quietness
Our animal nature
New birth/ newness (eggs)
AMM: Do you have a motto or philosophy that you
work by? What is it?
BS: I don’t have a set philosophy but I usually
don’t want to know the final result. I hope to
find a hidden potential and assist in it being
seen and realized.
AMM: Ceramics as a medium has an inherent dualism
between functionalism and non-functionalism. Your
work seems to playfully respond to this. Can you tell
us more about working in this medium?
BS: Ceramics has been used for useful objects
through the centuries: bowls, plates, tiles, vases
(also plumbing pipes, toilets and space rocket
materials and more). Many useful objects are
sculpture too. I like the range of being able to
make “art” and return to the useful object like a
bowl. There’s satisfaction in making a bowl that
serves a purpose. This making serves others
and the world. Lately I’ve been making bowls
and vases with narrative threads that depict
“ideas” and stories. In my mind, a great bowl is
as valid as a work of art as a great painting.
AMM: One can clearly see the influence of Cubism
in your work. What else influences and inspires you
artistically?
BS: What appears as a reference to Cubism is
an interest in a children’s toy called PlayPlax,
which is a set of interlocking colorful plastic
shapes. I’ve co-opted this idea into clay slabs,
putting them together then cutting and carving.
I’m very lucky to be exposed to a great deal
of art. One learns new ideas and points of
view through looking at both contemporary
and ancient art. I try to bring together the two
histories through my work and hope it can be
sincere, humble and maybe profound. Japanese
aesthetics and their relationship to clay are also
on my mind.
AMM: What does your studio look and feel like?
Does your environment influence you creatively?
BS: My studio is fairly tidy with lots of shelves.
There’s a wheel area, a slab roller area
and work tables. Though in the middle of
Manhattan, there’s a modest backyard. A frog
(named Bisque) has lived in the yard for three
years now. Amazing! Usually there’s music
playing of a wide range. It’s very comfortable
and relaxing and never a stressful environment.
AMM: Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or
projects to share? What’s next for you?
BS: Yes, I have works being shown with my
New York gallery Nicelle Beauchene at the
Dallas Art Fair in April 2018. I’m one of many
artists contributing to a show of tabletop works
at the Aldrich Museum in Connecticut in May
2018 curated by Amy Smith Stewart and David
Adamo. A solo show is planned with Nicelle
Beauchene for 2019.
Bruce M. Sherman
The Reader
ceramic and glaze
19 x 12 x 8 inches
Bruce M. Sherman
Matisse
glazed ceramic
10 x 7 ½ x 9 inches
Bruce M. Sherman
Woman with Fish
ceramic and glaze
22 ½ x 11 x 18 inches
Bruce M. Sherman
Quiet Figure With Plant
glazed ceramic
17 x 16 ½ x 7 inches
4746 4746
Image (top):
Bruce M. Sherman
Large Vase
glazed ceramic
15 ¾ x 11 x 11 inches
All images in this feature are
courtesy of the Bruce M. Sherman
and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
Image (top, left):
Bruce M. Sherman
Large Bowl (White)
glazed ceramic
14 ¼ x 14 ½ x 4 inches
Image (center, right):
Bruce M. Sherman
Open vertically and horizontally
glazed ceramic
15 ½ x 11 ½ x 7 inches
Image (bottom):
Bruce M. Sherman
Searching for True Central Self
glazed ceramic
26 x 16 x 16 inches
83 APRIL / MAY 2018
YELENA POPOVA
DIVISION OF LABOUR
BRUCE M. SHERMAN
NICELLE BEAUCHENE GALLERY
)RU�WKH�ODVW�KDQGIXO�RI�\HDUV��FHUDPLFV�KDV�EHHQ�HQMR\LQJ�D� 3RVVLELOLWLHV�� DQ\RQH”�6KHUPDQ·V�FOD\�IXO� LPDJLQDWLRQ� ZKLFK�,�VWLOO�GR�� LPSURYLVDWLRQDO�SLDQR��:LWK�FOD\�,�KDYH� WR�IHHO� 1LFHOOH�%HDXFKHQH�ILUVW�VKRZHG�6KHUPDQ·V�ZRUN�WZR�\HDUV� Left: Bruce M. Sherman works in his Manhattan studio.
“When you cut into a tooth, which seems very inert, it’s actually a living thing, as is clay,” Already in 2017, Sherman’s playful ceramic sculptures—colorful anthropomorphic forms which Sherman’s momentum started building over the past five years, largely in step with the art But long before his newfound fame, Sherman has been working with ceramics steadily for over Sherman studied dentistry at NYU, though the work left much to be desired. “I didn’t dislike And so he quit. Sherman left school with few plans, save for a desire to pursue ceramics and other “Crafts were studied in a very meaningful way,” he says, with particular attention to developing a Sherman would later subsidize his creative practice with a part-time job as a professor at NYU’s Today, Sherman keeps a studio in the ground floor of an unassuming walk-up in Midtown One wall is lined with jars of commercial glaze, and nearby sits a modest-sized kiln that Sherman It’s a small space, but Sherman doesn’t mind. “I don’t want to be over-productive,” he says, This is evidenced by Sherman’s take on the mythological goddesses The Three Graces, which His current show at Nicelle Beauchene, “IS,” speaks to the essential Zen Buddhism practice of He likens the recent works, which are largely driven by impulse, to the 1960s children’s game He experiments with countless glazes, dousing his figures in myriad popping colors and Eyes and hands are particularly frequent among his figurative sculptures. “The eye has a lot to do Sherman now looks to the future of his craft. “I’ve been around the art world for many years and And he’s done just that, which is evidenced in the current show. “I think I’m using clay as just a —Casey Lesser
Artists and artisans working with ceramics have steadily contributed to the art world for centuries. From prehistoric pottery to ancient Greek amphoras, from the At the Whitney Biennial that year, the ceramics of Sterling Ruby and Shio Kusaka were featured prominently; the de Purys curated a show of leading ceramic It was within this context that older living artists who have long championed the medium, like Betty Woodman, Ken Price, Arlene Schechet, and Ron Nagle, saw a “Ceramics is a medium that, with every passing decade, becomes easier for the untrained to manipulate—more rampant, versatile, and demystified, and perhaps And he’s by no means alone. Countless artists today are shifting the perception of ceramics, ensuring that whether taking the shape of a functional vessel or an “In working in clay, one communes with other works that have been fabricated and exist over hundreds and thousands of GALLERIES
Ceramics Stage a Coup at NADA Miami Benjamin Sutton | December 1, 2016
Five clay sculptures from 2016 by Sally Saul in the Rachel Uffner Gallery booth at NADA MIAMI BEACH — The idea that ceramics are making a comeback in the art world and gallery districts and members of the global art fair jet set have seen clay and porcelain My personal favorites, presiding over the The fair features works by several artists plays with scale and tone, or that uses the handcrafted medium to imbue typically The entrance to NADA Miami Beach 2016
A sculpture by Valerie Hegarty in the Locust Ceramics by Jennie Jieun Lee in the Martos Gallery booth at https://www.newartdealers.org/fairs/2016/miami-beach https://www.newartdealers.org/fairs/2016/miami-beach http://www.matthewmarks.com/new-york/artists/ron-nagle/ http://www.matthewmarks.com/new-york/artists/ron-nagle/ http://www.racheluffnergallery.com/ http://www.racheluffnergallery.com/ http://www.racheluffnergallery.com/ http://www.racheluffnergallery.com/ http://www.locustprojects.org/#1 http://www.locustprojects.org/#1 http://jenniejieunlee.com/ http://jenniejieunlee.com/ http://www.martosgallery.com/ http://www.martosgallery.com/ Several ceramicists featured at NADA Miami Beach took a more deconstructive Bruce M. Sherman, “Woman with Fish” (2016) in Bruce M. Sherman, “Equi Lib Reeum” (2016) in Nicelle http://www.brucemsherman.com/ http://www.brucemsherman.com/ http://www.cristinatufino.com/ http://www.cristinatufino.com/ http://www.sorrywereclosed.com/ http://www.sorrywereclosed.com/ http://www.ericcroes.be/ http://www.ericcroes.be/ Amid the riffs on conventional ceramic Finally, for those who prefer their ceramics Works by Cristina Tufiño in Galería Agustina A sculpture by Eric Croes in the booth of Sorry We’re Closed A totemic ceramic sculpture by Eric Croes in the booth http://rogerherman.net/ http://rogerherman.net/ http://lefebvreetfils.fr/ http://lefebvreetfils.fr/ http://www.situations.us/ http://www.situations.us/ https://www.visualaids.org/artists/detail/jerry-the-marble-faun https://www.visualaids.org/artists/detail/jerry-the-marble-faun http://tifsigfrids.com/artists/zachary-leener/ http://tifsigfrids.com/artists/zachary-leener/ http://www.derekeller.com/ http://www.derekeller.com/ resort. Seen in the context of NADA Miami Beach’s longtime home, the charmingly old- A selection of Roger Herman’s sculptures in Lefebvre & Fil’s booth at A ceramic sculpture by Roger Herman in Lefebvre & Fil’s booth at Ceramic vases by Jerry the Marble Faun in Situations gallery’s booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016
A sculpture by Zachary Leener in the Tif Sigfrids booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016 continues at the Deauville Beach Resort (6701 Collins Avenue, Miami A sculpture by Peter Shire in Derek Eller Gallery’s booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016
In the halls at NADA Miami Beach 2016 https://www.newartdealers.org/fairs/2016/miami-beach https://www.newartdealers.org/fairs/2016/miami-beach
kaufmann repetto is pleased to announce a solo presentation of works by New York-based artist, Bruce M. Bruce M. Sherman’s works exist between realized and imagined histories. His vessels point towards the The pronounced presence of eyes and hands in Sherman’s work alludes to spirituality and investigations of Sherman’s anthropomorphic characters present viewers with a humorous familiarity just shy of something . at kaufmann repetto, Milan Patron_AprMay_FC_NoBarcode.p1
season in the sun, gaining long overdue respect in an art world
ZKLFK�KDV�VRPHWLPHV�UHOHJDWHG�WKH�PHGLXP�WR�D�RQH�GRZQ�VWDWXV��
+DSSLO\�� IRU�WKH�’DOODV�$UW�)DLU��1HZ�
IUHTXHQWO\�WDNHV�KLP�WR�DQ�DQWKURSRPRUSKLF�1HYHUODQG��ZKHUH�
KLV�LQVFUXWDEO\�EHJXLOLQJ�VFXOSWXUHV�PD\�EH�FRPSRVHG�RI�KDQGV��
OLSV�� H\HV�� ODGGHUV�� HJJV�� IHHW�� FDFWXV�� ELUGV�� WRS� KDWV�� F\OLQGHUV��
KLJK�FRQWUDVW�JOD]HV��DQG�WKH�UHTXLVLWH�FRQQHFWLYH�WLVVXH�WR�SXOO�LW�
DOO�WRJHWKHU��´,�GRQ·W�UHDOO\�ZRUN�IURP�VNHWFKHV�µ�KH�VD\V��´,W·V�YHU\�
LPSURYLVDWLRQDO��VRUW�RI�OLNH�OLVWHQLQJ�ZKLOH�\RX·UH�SOD\LQJ�PXVLF��
what’s needed next, let’s say after I put the legs on—what’s the
QH[W�IRUP”�7KH�SLDQR�KDV�UHDOO\�KHOSHG�PH�EHFRPH�PRUH�LQWXLWLYH�
ZLWK�WKH�FOD\��MXVW�NLQG�RI�OLVWHQLQJ�WR�LW��VHHLQJ�ZKHUH�LW�ZDQWV�WR�
JR�µ�6KHUPDQ�OLNHV�WR�VWDUW�KLV�PRUQLQJ�ZLWK�SLDQR�SUDFWLFH�EHIRUH�
KH�KRRIV�LW�RYHU�WR�KLV�VWXGLR��DQG�LW·V�QRW�XQXVXDO�IRU�KLP�WR�EH�
ZRUNLQJ�VL[��HYHQ�VHYHQ��GD\V�D�ZHHN��
DJR��SDUW�RI�D�JURXS�H[KLELW�FDOOHG�The Faraway Inside��)HDWXULQJ�
HLJKW� DUWLVWV� ZRUNLQJ� LQ� D� YDULHW\� RI� PHGLXPV�� WKH� IDYRUDEOH�
response to Sherman’s pieces was strong enough that the gallerist
LQYLWHG�KLP�WR�MRLQ�KHU�URVWHU��IS��KLV�ÀUVW�VROR�H[KLELWLRQ�WKHUH��UDQ�
ODVW�VSULQJ�DQG�LQFOXGHG�D�QXPEHU�RI�YHVVHOV��HYHQ�D�GUDZLQJ��LQ�
DGGLWLRQ�WR�D�GR]HQ�RU�VR�RI�KLV�VLJQDWXUH�VXUUHDO�VFXOSWXUHV��´0\�
OLWWOH�ÀJXUHV�DUH�YHU\�LQWXLWLYH��,�KDYH�QR�LGHD�ZKDW�WKRVH�WKLQJV�DUH�
JRLQJ�WR�EH�µ�KH�VD\V��´7KH\�VRPHWLPHV�KDYH�D�FHUWDLQ�FRPSDVVLRQ�
WR�WKHP��RU�D�FHUWDLQ�KXPDQQHVV³WKH\�UHDOO\�GR��,·P�DV�VXUSULVHG�
DV�DQ\RQH�HOVH�µ�–Steve Carter
Above: Represented by Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, Bruce
M. Sherman is known for his anthropomorphic, ceramic
vessels. Photography by Shayna Fontana.
ceramic artist Bruce M. Sherman tells me. It’s an unlikely talking point for an artist, but not for
Sherman, who worked as a dentist for seven years. Today, he uses his scalpel to cut clay, and his
artistic practice, ceramics, is thriving.
embody the levity and wit of the artist himself—have been shown multiple times on two
continents. His work was the focus of a solo show at Kaufmann Repetto’s Milan gallery, a fair
booth with Nicelle Beauchene Gallery at NADA New York, and as of last week, an exhibition at
Beauchene’s Lower East Side gallery. Sherman has another solo show slated for fall with
Brussels gallery Sorry We’re Closed, which will also show the artist’s work at Art Brussels this
April.
world’s increasing enthusiasm for ceramics. It was also fueled in part by the discerning eye of
artist and curator Matthew Higgs, who gave Sherman an exhibition at White Columns in 2014
(which sold out) and a memorable showing at Independent New York last March.
five decades. “Even when I was a dentist I always had a kiln in my apartment,” he says with a
laugh. “For many years it was in my bedroom, which was probably crazy.” He took his first
ceramics course 51 years ago at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, during his graduate school
dental internship.
dentistry, but I didn’t get deep satisfaction out of it like my fellow students,” he says, recalling
others’ excitement over patient cases and the prospect of performing a root canal. “It’s nice
helping people and making beautiful teeth, but there are only 32 of them.”
creative avenues like design—one year he launched a line of lucite furniture. For 15 years in the
’60s and ’70s he was involved in the Society for Experimental Studies, a group of likeminded
creatives who worked together to pursue and promote various forms of craftsmanship (Sherman
himself engaged with Japanese Bunraku puppetry and stone-cutting). The high regard for craft
that Sherman learned in that circle still largely figures into his practice today.
thoughtful approach to creating objects, but also to everyday activities. “If you’re a good
craftsman, so to speak, how you wash a dish is as important as how you throw a pot.”
College of Dentistry, and a stint as a spokesperson on TV and radio for a dental plan company.
He went on to found his own, modest dental plan company, which still operates today; it’s
afforded him the financial stability needed to pursue art full-time.
Manhattan, a few blocks from the home where he lives with his partner, the art dealer and advisor
Rob Teeters. The studio is lined with decades worth of sculpture and pots, from large, wheel-
thrown vessels to new work like tables and tall, totem-like figures. Much of his process is
therapeutic, he tells me, gesturing to a shelf filled with small creatures made from strips and coils
of clay. “I think if people did that instead of the computer, they’d be much happier,” he says with
a smile.
uses for all of his work; on the opposite end of the space, a door leads to a secret back room
where he keeps a pottery wheel.
noting that his process is primarily focused on having fun. The genuine joy Sherman takes in his
practice, his humorous personality, comes through strongly in his work.
sees a trio of sculptures of cleaning ladies (one holds a small broom, two have tiny spray bottles).
Or a past series, for which he created ceramic pieces inspired by the works of Jean Arp, and
attached them to gold poles and stones. “Arp is very elevated,” he says, “my idea was to bring it
down to Earth, so it’s ‘Arp on a Rock.’”
being present. Sherman attributes much of his inspiration to this practice, which was central to
much his training in ceramics. “Up until recently, I never signed my work, which came from a
more Buddhist idea of people working together and not being attached; being honorable to the
work and letting go in a certain way.”
PlayPlax, for which colored perspex squares can be assembled to build vibrant structures.
Sherman’s pieces are primarily made from slabs of clay that he cuts, stacks, makes into tubes, and
combines to form people and mythical creatures. Some resemble dollhouses, inhabited by tiny
figures, body parts, ladders, and potted plants—some even hold real, miniature cacti.
delectable textures, from deep blue and green tie-dye-like finishes to sprays of speckles and
translucent, pastel-colored hues.
with being aware of oneself and seeing; I’m hoping to tell a story visually rather than be
didactic,” he says. He gestures to a figure with a tiny pair of eyeglasses and a cap covered in eyes,
a sculpture he describes as a scholar, deep in thought. The hands, he says, stress the importance of
prayer. “Working in clay is almost like a way of praying.”
ceramics has always been the second cousin,” he says. “I want to elevate it. I feel responsible to
do something interesting with clay that respects its history.”
medium for shapes and forms and colors, and yet I love the idea of a bowl and a vase,” he
reflects, nodding to the pigeonhole of craft that ceramic vessels are often limited to. He notes that
the Nicelle Beauchene show includes three bowls that are hung on a wall. “I’m very happy about
that, that a bowl made it in an art show.”
rise of porcelain in Asia and Europe to the Arts and Crafts movement in England and the U.S., ceramic traditions have long fascinated artists and infiltrated their
practices. In the contemporary art world, this was never more clear than in 2014, when ceramics arguably achieved peak popularity.
artists at Venus Over Manhattan; and at major fairs like Frieze and Art Basel, galleries punctuated their presentations with pots by Dan McCarthy and Takuro
Kuwata, and the figurative sculptures of Rachel Kneebone and Klara Kristalova.
resurgence; and younger artists like Jesse Wine, Rose Eken, Elizabeth Jaeger, and Jennie Jieun Lee found a market. And while the trend has tapered off somewhat,
enthusiasm for ceramics remains strong and artists working in the medium continue to maintain a steady foothold in art-world venues.
more worthy of a clarified position within the wider history of sculpture,” says the British ceramist Aaron Angell, who set up a pottery studio in London in 2014
to teach fellow artists. “I feel that fired clay deserves better than to be indelibly colored by allusions to (not) being useful, the foggy world of craft, or the
masturbatory hermetics of the master potter,” he adds.
explosive sculpture, the art form receives its due respect and recognition. Below, we share the work of 20 living ceramic artists, as they each share why they’re
passionate about clay.
years,” says Sherman, who turned to ceramics after retiring from dentistry. “I work in a type of improvisational mode and
each new piece is a new moment of beginning.” His works, which include both functional vessels and sculptures, are each
infused with levity, humor, and character, be it through faces or a smattering of eyes or hands. Following his first New
York solo show at White Columns in 2015, Sherman has picked up momentum, with a critical mass of shows in 2017 that
includes solos at Kaufmann/Repetto in Milan, Nicelle Beauchene in New York, and Sorry We’re Closed in Brussels.
Beach 2016
Typically a stronghold of painting, the NADA Miami Beach fair is awash in clay
sculpture this year.
Miami Beach 2016 (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)
the art market is not exactly news. Regular visitors to Chelsea and other blue chip
steadily gaining ground on paint, ink, and more conventional sculptural materials like
bronze. And this year, ceramic art has made major inroads at NADA’s Miami Beach fair,
a quintessential bastion of painting. (Textiles, too, are on the rise, both at NADA and Art
Basel Miami Beach.) Ranging in style from finish fetish works in the lineage of Ken Price
and Ron Nagle, to playful figurative statues and imaginative riffs on traditional ceramic
objects like vases, this year’s NADA fair feels like a potter’s paradise.
booth of New York’s Rachel Uffner
Gallery, are Sally Saul’s sculptures of two
female figures, a dog, a fox, and a flower.
The curious grouping is a testament to her
endearing and playful iconography, and
revived my desire for a big solo show of
Saul’s sculptures — word is that Uffner
has one in the works.
working in the same vein as Saul — that
is, making figurative ceramic work that
inanimate objects with inner life. Two shining examples of this approach are the playful
food sculptures by Valerie Hegarty that are on view in Miami gallery Locust Projects‘
booth, and the cryptic, almost grotesque head sculptures by Jennie Jieun Lee that New
York’s Martos Gallery is showing.
Projects booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016
NADA MiamiBeach
approach to figurative shapes and images. Bruce M. Sherman‘s two works in New York
gallery Nicelle Beauchene‘s booth feature human forms that have been fragmented into
disjointed planes in a quasi-Cubist manner (“Woman with Fish,” 2016) or radically
reduced to stubby limbs and little else (“Equi Lib Reeum,” 2016). Puerto Rican artist
Cristina Tufiño takes a different approach in her ceramic works in the booth of San
Juan’s Galería Agustina Ferreyra. The works mimic the forms of conventional vases
while also evoking certain body parts — the face, the torso, the hips — streamlined to a
few telltale features. Nearby, the mezzanine booth of Brussels gallery Sorry We’re Closed
features a set of tabletop works and one tower of ceramic heads by Eric Croes. The
pieces’ cartoon-like forms and vibrant glazes are delightful.
Nicelle Beauchene’s booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016
Beauchene’s booth at NADA Miami Beach 2016
vessels, the standouts are the dozens by
Los Angeles-based painter Roger Herman
filling the walls and shelves in the booth of
Paris gallery Lefebvre & Fils. Ranging from
pitchers and vases to bowls and plates,
many feature figurative images, from
deathly skulls to grimacing figures. Around
the corner, in the small booth of New York
gallery Situations, three large vases by
outsider artist Jerry the Marble Faun seem
to burst with exotic flaura and fauna.
more firmly in the lineage of minimalism
and geometric abstraction, two standouts
are Zachary Leener‘s psychedelic work in
the booth of Los Angeles gallery Tif Sigfrids
— which evokes a cactus or perhaps a key
to an alternate reality — and Peter Shire‘s
small work in the Derek Eller Gallery booth
— which could almost be a maquette for
the next starchitect-designed Miami Beach
Ferreyra’s booth at NADA MIami Beach 2016
at NADA Miami Beach 2016
of Sorry We’re Closed at NADA Miami Beach 2016
school Deauville Beach Resort, these two works in particular stand out as alluring
visions from a ceramic-filled future.
NADA Miami Beach 2016
NADA Miami Beach 2016
NADA Miami Beach 2016
Beach, Florida) through December 4.
Sherman. This is the first solo exhibition of the artist in Europe.
totemic traditions of pottery – often including or insinuating functionality through emblematic forms. The
sculptures simultaneously utilize these iconographic symbols to evoke surreal and imaginative experiences
through the use of Sherman’s unique vernacular.
Eastern influences. At the same time, the inclusion of these human features extends discernible humbleness
to the personified pieces. The usage of forms and hues found in nature speaks to the mysterious universe at
large. Sherman’s works stand like a gathering of many Gods but also like an approachable cluster of
companions.
concretely true to a traceable past or present. This fracture leaves us happily at home in the presence between
here and there.
until 18 March 2017
Patron_IFC.p1
Patron_001.p1
Patron_002.p1
Patron_003.p1
Patron_004.p1
Patron_005.p1
Patron_006.p1
Patron_007.p1
Patron_008.p1
Patron_009.p1
Patron_010.p1
Patron_011.p1
Patron_012.p1
Patron_013.p1
Patron_014.p1
Patron_015.p1
Patron_016.p1
Patron_017.p1
Patron_018.p1
Patron_019.p1
Patron_020.p1
Patron_021.p1
Patron_022.p1
Patron_023.p1
Patron_024.p1
Patron_025.p1
Patron_026.p1
Patron_027.p1
Patron_028.p1
Patron_029.p1
Patron_030.p1
Patron_031.p1
Patron_032.p1
Patron_033.p1
Patron_034.p1
Patron_035.p1
Patron_036.p1
Patron_037.p1
Patron_038.p1
Patron_039.p1
Patron_040.p1
Patron_041.p1
Patron_042.p1
Patron_043.p1
Patron_044.p1
Patron_045.p1
Patron_046.p1
Patron_047.p1
Patron_048.p1
Patron_049.p1
Patron_050.p1
Patron_051.p1
Patron_052.p1
Patron_053.p1
Patron_054.p1
Patron_055.p1
Patron_056.p1
Patron_057.p1
Patron_058.p1
Patron_059.p1
Patron_060.p1
Patron_061.p1
Patron_062.p1
Patron_063.p1
Patron_064.p1
Patron_065.p1
Patron_066.p1
Patron_067.p1
Patron_068.p1
Patron_069.p1
Patron_070.p1
Patron_071.p1
Patron_072.p1
Patron_073.p1
Patron_074.p1
Patron_075.p1
Patron_076.p1
Patron_077.p1
Patron_078.p1
Patron_079.p1
Patron_080.p1
Patron_081.p1
Patron_082.p1
Patron_083.p1
Patron_084.p1
Patron_085.p1
Patron_086.p1
Patron_087.p1
Patron_088.p1
Patron_089.p1
Patron_090.p1
Patron_091.p1
Patron_092.p1
Patron_093.p1
Patron_094.p1
Patron_095.p1
Patron_096.p1
Patron_097.p1
Patron_098.p1
Patron_099.p1
Patron_100.p1
Patron_101.p1
Patron_102.p1
Patron_103.p1
Patron_104.p1
Patron_105.p1
Patron_106.p1
Patron_107.p1
Patron_108.p1
Patron_109.p1
Patron_110.p1
Patron_111.p1
Patron_112.p1
Patron_113.p1
Patron_114.p1
Patron_115.p1
Patron_116.p1
Patron_117.p1
Patron_118.p1
Patron_119.p1
Patron_120.p1
Patron_121.p1
Patron_122.p1
Patron_123.p1
Patron_124.p1
Patron_125.p1
Patron_126.p1
Patron_127.p1
Patron_128.p1
Patron_IBC.p1
Patron_BC.p1