Zoë Powell, Ceramic Vessel 06, Perianth Series, 2021

Name: Zoë Powell, Ceramic Vessel 06, Perianth Series, 2021
Brand: Zoë Powell
Price: 1500 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Title: Perianth 06 Year: 2021 Freeform ceramic sculpture made from a blend of high-iron stoneware clays hand-collected by the artist in Minnesota. Its surface is hand-polished with diamond sandpaper to render a matte finish. Signed with the artist’s mark along the interior rim. Each piece is original and one of a kind. The forms in this collection are influenced by botanical morphology - specifically, the ‘perianth’ or floral envelope, whose petals serve to protect the most sensitive part of the plant before the eventual dispersal of the fruit’s seed. Powell’s sculptures seek to evoke a similar feeling of comfort and protection, serving as reminders of another time, both past and future, when one's family is close and the world feels safe, offering an escape from the ephemerality of the present which can leave one feeling vulnerable and exposed. The Perianth series functions both as a personal etiology for the artist and as a broader exploration of the universal themes of nostalgia, sentimentality, and familial memory In terms of process, Powell is interested in manipulating material into something it essentially is not - shaping crude, raw clay, still studded with naturally occurring sands and stones, into incredibly delicate forms. The resulting pieces are light and elegant — impossibly thin and balanced in surprising ways. Each sculpture’s surface, riddled with scrapes and craters, is astonishingly soft and sensuous to the touch and each piece feels precious in such a finessed and attenuated state. This concept of defied expectations extends beyond the physical properties of the work in that Powell is also investigating the mutability of perception, specifically in terms of Perianth’s overarching nostalgia and memory themes - - the present is intimidating in its authenticity, with no space for embellishment or fantasy, while memories of, and the subsequent yearning for, an era, place or person can become nebulous and fictionalized with distance and time. In this way, the works in this series act as physical manifestations of the unanticipated and misremembered. - - - - - - - - - - - - ABOUT THE ARTIST: Zoë Powell’s work consists of organic sculptural vessels made from clays and minerals she collects and processes herself. She views working with locally sourced materials as an exercise in sustainability and aims to take full responsibility for a material by honoring it throughout the production process. She is interested in psychological pathology and how external relationships can influence an individual’s mental and emotional state. Zoë graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2016 with a B.A. in Fine Arts and a B.S. in Biology. She is currently working from Studio Alluvium, a gallery and local clay production studio she co-founded with her partner in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her work has recently been featured in: Dwell, American Craft, and Ceramics Monthly. In addition to private collections, her pieces have been exhibited in various galleries, academic institutions, and museums across the United States and Europe.

Creator:

Zoë Powell (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)Depth: 9 in (22.86 cm)

Style:

Organic Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Ceramic,Fired,Polished

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

21st Century