CityArts NYC
MAY 2009
Gallery Beat
6
www.cityartsny.info
New York’s Review of Culture
Not What It’s Cracked Up To Be TK
Contemporary artists have liberated ceramics from their utility into objects of contemplation BY BRICE BROWN
JOHN GOODRICH AND MARIO NAVES REVIEW.
Classical
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JAY NORDLINGER BIDS FAREWELL TO SCHENK’S RING.
Sebastian Zimmer
Jazz
he long-esteemed history of porcelain— brimming with power, wealth, corruption and even murder—is almost operatic in scope and makes for a fascinating tale. Equally fascinating, though not usually considered, is how the industry of porcelain has maintained a progressive and relevant influence on artistic practices. The medium’s aesthetic evolution since its introduction to the West in the early 18th century is intrinsically tied to the means by which it was manufactured. Patronage afforded by a relationship with a major, well-funded factory meant artists were able to fully investigate their creative impulses. The result was cutting-edge ceramic objects manufactured in shapes and decoration then unthinkable. Today, working with industrial ceramic companies affords an artist access to new tools, enabling increased speed in prototyping and production, and an ability to fund and execute conceptually complex ideas. Now being filed under the somewhat generic label of
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Edyta Cieloch’s “Spanish Lace”
Applied Arts, the work born of art’s marriage to industry combine whip-smart approaches to the most commonplace objects. And now that contemporary studio practice is decidedly post-material—where no one medium takes preference over another—a slew of artists from outside the world of clay are entering the fray of industrial ceramics, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives. For example, working with the Sévres factory in France, photographer Cindy Sherman took pieces from existing services and applied customized decoration–– namely, images of herself dressed as Madame du Pompadour––to create a set of witty and mischievous dishes out of traditional forms. With Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics (a version of the exhibit was on view last year at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto), the Museum of Art and Design presents a survey of over 200 examples of these contemporary ceramic works, highlighting Applied Art’s new trends and possible paths toward future developments. The roster
of artists is refreshingly international, indicating porcelain’s global appeal, and the quality of works run the gamut from underwhelming and predictable to knock-your-socks-off gorgeous. There are no outright duds, however, owing to the superb job of guest curator Marek Cecula, himself an extremely accomplished ceramic artist. Divided into the three broadly drawn categories of “Altered States,” “Collaborations” and “New Territory,” the objects on view are initially known to us: teapots, cups, saucers, plates and bowls. These vessels comprise the basic building blocks of the domestic life. Yet closer inspection reveals each piece to be corrupted, transformed and hybridized in some large or small way, making the familiar instantly strange (a snail crawling across a bowl, for example, as in Hella Jongerius’ quirky piece), and forcing us to rethink the ways we experience the objects we take for granted. Dwelling in the interstices between craft,
HOWARD MANDEL RECOMMENDS ROULETTE’S EXPERIMENTAL SUMMER ROSTER.
Theater
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PLAYWRIGHT LLOYD SUH GETS FOUR PRODUCTIONS AT ONCE
Arts Agenda
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GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, DANCE, THEATER AND MORE.
see CRACKED UP on page 10 A Manhattan Media publication